被緊縛的花房·紅字，淬煉劍的火(3)-中國紅

韓國紅

中國紅

Once on a time, in sunshine weather,

Falsehood and Truth walk’d out together,

The neighbouring woods and lawns to view,

As opposites will sometimes do:

Through many a blooming mead they pass’d,

And at a brook arrived at last:

The purling stream, the margin green,

With flowers bedeck’d, a vernal scene,

Invited each itinerant maid

To rest a while beneath the shade;

Under a spreading beech they sat,

And pass’d the time with female chat;

While each her thoughts, the other feign’d.

At length, quoth Falsehood, Sister Truth,

For so she call’d her from her youth,

What if, to shun yon sultry beam,

We bathe in this delightful stream,

The bottom smooth, the water clear,

And there’s no prying shepherd near?

With all my heart, the nymph replied,

And threw her snowy robes aside,

Stripp’d herself naked to the skin,

And with a spring leapp’d headlong in.

Falsehood more leisurely undress’d,

And laying by her tawdry vest,

Trick’d herself out in Truth’s array,

And cross the meadows tripp’d away.

From this cursed hour the fraudful dame

Of sacred Truth usurps the name,

And with a vile perfidious mind

Roams far and near to cheat mankind;

False sighs suborns, and artful tears,

And starts with vain pretended fears,

In visits vain still appears most wise,

And rolls at church her saint-like eyes;

Talks very much, plays idle tricks,

While rising stock her conscience pricks;

When being, poor thing, extremely gravell’d,

She secrets ope’d, and all unravell’d.

But on she will, and secrets tell

Of John and Joan, and Ned and Nell,

Reviling every one she knows,

As fancy leads, beneath the rose.

Her tongue so voluble and kind

It always runs before her mind;

As times do serve she slily pleads,

And copious tears still show her needs,

With promises as thick as weeds -

Speaks pro and con, is wondrous civil,

To-day a saint, to-morrow devil.

Poor Truth she stripp’d, as has been said,

And naked left the lovely maid,

Who, scorning from her cause to wince,

Has gone stark naked ever since,

And ever naked will appear,

Beloved by all who Truth revere.

— — Matthew Prior，Truth and Falsehood. a Tale

[譯文]

很久以前在一個陽光明媚的日子，真理與謊言一同外出，正如對立者有時做的那樣，她們觀賞著相鄰的樹林和草坪；

在穿過了一片片茂盛的草地後，她們最終到達了一條小溪，綠茵接壤著潺潺流動的溪水，花朵裝點著和煦的風景，都似乎在邀請著徘徊著的少女們去綠蔭下稍作休息，她們遂坐在茂密的山毛櫸的陰翳里，用少女的相談消磨時光，一個吐露真言而另一個卻掩藏心思。

最終，謬誤說道：“真理啊，我的姐妹”，一如她從幼年就這樣呼喚她，“若要躲避著悶熱的光線，我們何不如在那可愛的溪水里洗澡？那兒底部平穩水流清澈，也沒有牧羊人在一旁偷窺”，那位美麗的少女真誠地應答著並脫去她潔白無瑕的長袍置於一邊，她的皮膚因衣物脫落而裸露，伴隨著湧現的浪花躍入水中。

而謊言則悠閑地脫下外衣，躺在她廉價俗麗的衣衫旁，用真理的衣服把自己打扮一新，跌跌撞撞地穿過草地。

從這個可恥的時刻開始，欺騙女士篡奪了神聖的真理的名字，用她低劣而背信棄義的思想漫游四方去欺騙人類，虛假的嘆息、佯裝的眼淚、偽作的恐懼，把空無偽裝成智慧，像聖人一樣在教堂里游走。她大話連篇，玩弄著閑來無用的把戲，當良心不安刺破了她上升的名譽，當可憐的人類感到困惑時，她（偽裝成真理）的秘密才全部解開，同時她所知道的所有人的秘密也都被公開了，當謊言被玫瑰色幻象指揮時，她是多麼健談而友善，以至於言語之快超過她的思想，隨著時間推移，她狡猾的懇求和滔滔不絕的眼淚仍顯露她的本性，應許下的許諾多的如同茂密的雜草，談起利弊仿佛出神入化，今天是聖人，明日是魔鬼。

正如之前所說，可憐的真理被剝奪了外衣，只留下這位少女赤身裸體，從此以後也一直如此，總以赤裸的外形現身，盡管有人因此嘲笑她，真理仍然被敬仰她的人所愛戴。

— — 馬修·普萊爾（Matthew Prior，1664年7月21日-1721年9月18日。英國詩人和外交官。他以《考證》[The Examiner]的撰稿人而聞名）, 真理和謊言，一個寓言

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— — 繁花走線