Bats In Sunshine Poem by Luo Zhihai

★ Bats In Sunshine

☆ Poetry by Ambrose Bierce


Well, Mr. Kemble, you are called, I think,
A great divine, and I'm a great profane.
You as a Congregationalist blink
Some certain truths that I esteem a gain,
And dropp them in the coffers of my brain,
Pleased with the pretty music of their chink.
Perhaps your spiritual wealth is such
A golden truth or two don't count for much.

You say that you've no patience with such stuff
As by Renan is writ, and when you read
(Why _do_ you read?) have hardly strength enough
To hold your hand from flinging the vile screed
Into the fire. That were a wasteful deed
Which you'd repent in sackcloth extra rough;
For books cost money, and I'm told you care
To lay up treasures Here as well as There.

I fear, good, pious soul, that you mistake
Your thrift for toleration. Never mind:
Renan in any case would hardly break
His great, strong, charitable heart to find
The bats and owls of your myopic kind
Pained by the light that his ideas make.
'Tis Truth's best purpose to shine in at holes
Where cower the Kembles, to confound their souls!


▲ Chinese Translation

★ 阳光下的蝙蝠

☆ [美] 安布罗斯•比尔斯 (1842 - 1913) 诗
☆ [中] 罗志海 译


好吧，我想你叫肯布尔先生
你是一个伟大的神，我就是一个伟大的亵渎者
你作为一个公理会教友眨眨眼睛
我尊敬收获的真理确信无疑
投放真理在我大脑的金库里
他们漂亮叮当响的音乐很快乐
也许你的精神财富就是如此
一两个黄金的真理不算什么

你说你没耐心用这样的东西
正如勒南写道，当你阅读时
（你为什么读？）很难有足够实力
粗暴卑鄙的长篇大论
握住你的手进火里，这是一个浪费行为
你会后悔裹在特别粗糙的麻布里
书籍费钱，我告诉你小心花费
积攒财宝，这里如同那里

我害怕，好，虔诚的灵魂，你错了
你容忍节俭，那更不用说
勒南在任何情况下，将很难打破
他伟大，坚强，慈善的心去发现
你近视的同类——猫头鹰和蝙蝠
因他的思想发光带来的痛苦
这真理的最好目的是照进
畏缩的肯布尔们的孔洞里，去诅咒他们的灵魂！


北京时间2015年2月23日翻译
Beijing time on February 23,2015, Translation