芝加哥

Chicago

桑德堡

Carl Sandburg

桑德堡（Carl Sandburg，1878-1967），美国诗人，传记作家。他出身贫寒，年少时流浪四方，生活艰辛，熟悉下层人民的生活，后涉足报界，成为《芝加哥每日新闻》的编辑。他有些诗歌有意象派的痕迹，但大多数诗歌都有很强的现实感和时代感，擅长描写工业文明时期大都市的喧嚣生活，富于激情，风格粗犷，被认为是美国的平民诗人。他的诗受到惠特曼和狄金森的影响，注重诗中的节奏感，意象丰富，感觉真切可触。主要诗作有《芝加哥》。

面向全世界的屠宰者，

Hog Butcher for the World,

工具制造者，小麦堆积者，

Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat,

铁路的弹奏者，全国货运的操纵者，

Player with Railroads and the Nation's Freight Handler;

暴风雨般的、强壮的、喧嚣的城市，

Stormy, husky, brawling ,

宽肩膀们的城市：

City of the Big Shoulders:

他们告诉我说你是邪恶的，我相信他们，因为我看见了

They tell me you are wicked and I believe them, for I have seen

你的脂粉女人在煤气灯下引诱农场少年。

your painted women under the gas lamps luring the farm boys.

他们告诉我说你是不正当的，我回答说：是的，我的确

And they tell me you are crooked and I answer: Yes, it is true I

见到了带枪的歹徒杀人并且毫无顾忌地再次杀人。

have seen the gunman kill and go free to kill again.

他们告诉我说你是残暴的，我的回答是：在妇女儿童的

And they tell me you are brutal and my reply is: On the faces of

脸上我见到了肆无忌惮的饥饿的痕迹。

women and children I have seen the marks of wanton hunger.

这样回答了之后，我再次转向那些轻蔑地嘲笑我的这

And having answered so I turn once more to those who sneer at this

个城市的人们，我把嘲笑回敬给他们，对他们说：

my city, and I give them back the sneer and say to them:

来，你们能给我举出像这样昂首高歌的，由于生气勃

Come and show me another city with lifted head singing so proud

勃、粗犷、强壮、狡黠而如此骄傲的另一个城市吗！

to be alive and coarse and strong and cunning .

这是一名高个儿的、大胆的拳击师，鲜明地站立在许多

Flinging magnetic curses amid the toil of piling job on job, here

小小的、软绵绵的城市前面，在堆积一个一个职业的

is a tall bold slugger set vivid against the little soft cities;

苦活中抛出催眠术般的诅咒，

像一只舔着舌头搜索战斗行动的狗那样凶猛，像一个

Fierce as a dog with tongue lapping for action, cunning as a savage

同荒野对峙着的原始人那样狡黠，

pitted against the wilderness,

光着头颅，

Bareheaded,

挥动着铁铲，

Shoveling ,

遭受着破坏，

Wrecking,

订立着计划，

Planning,

建筑着，崩塌着，重新建筑着，

Building, breaking, rebuilding,

在烟雾里，尘土沾满他的嘴，露出雪白的牙齿笑着，

Under the smoke, dust all over his mouth, laughing with white teeth,

在命运的可怕重担下笑着，一个年轻人那样笑着，

Under the terrible burden of destiny laughing as a young man laughs,

甚至像一个从来没有吃过败仗的无知的战士那样

Laughing even as an ignorant fighter laughs who has never lost a

笑着，

battle,

笑着，夸耀着他的手腕上跳动的是人民的脉搏，他的肋

Bragging and laughing that under his wrist is the pulse, and under

骨里跳动的是人民的心脏，

his ribs the heart of the people,

笑着！

Laughing!

笑出了青春的笑声，那暴风雨般的、强壮的、喧嚣的笑

Laughing the stormy, husky, brawling laughter of Youth, half-naked,

声，半裸着，流着汗，由于做了屠宰者、工具制造者、

sweating, proud to be Hog Butcher, Tool Maker, Stacker of

小麦堆积者、铁路的弹奏者和全国货运的操纵者而

Wheat, Player with Railroads and Freight Handler to the

骄傲。

Nation.