《WORDS & THE WORLD 詞與世界》章节试读

《WORDS & THE WORLD 詞與世界》的笔记-C.D.Wright 原诗 - C.D.Wright 原诗

LIKE A PRISONER OF SOFT WORDS (1)



We walk under the wires and the birds resettle.

We know where we’re going but have not made up our mind

which way we will take to get there.

If we pass by the palmist’s she can read our wayward lines.

We may drop things along the way that substantiate our having been here.

We will not be able to transmit any of these feelings verbatim.

By the time we reach the restaurant one of us is angry.

Here a door gives in to a courtyard

overlooking a ruined pool.

We touch the spot on our shirt where the ink has seeped.

The lonely outline of the host is discerned near an unlit sconce.

Something about an oar leaning against a wall.

As guests we are authorized not to notice.

We lack verisimilitude but we press on with intense resolve.

We are forced to admit we cannot reproduce the smell of the linden.

But we can tell you when we are standing

in the sphere of its fluency, its mystery, its heart-shaped leaves,

its special white honey, the precarious fabric of its protection.

We appear less posthumous

against the silver exposures. When the wind picks up

the sound track isn’t audible.

《WORDS & THE WORLD 詞與世界》的笔记-序言 - 序言

如今，我们正在退入人类文明的最后防线——这是一个毫无精神向度的时代，一个丧失文化价值与理想的时代，一个充斥语言垃圾的时代。一方面，我们生活在不同的行话中：学者的行话、商人的行话、政客的行话，等等；另一方面，最为通行的是娱乐语言、网络语言和新媒体语言，在所谓全球化的网络时代，这种雅和俗的结合构成最大公约数，简化人类语言的表现力。