雙語賞析《新月集》第20期: 水手 The sailor

THE boat of the boatman Madhu is moored at the wharf of Rajgunj.
It is uselessly laden with jute, and has been lying there idle for ever so long.
If he would only lend me his boat, I should man her with a hundred oars, and hoist sails, five or six or seven.
I should never steer her to stupid markets. I should sail the seven seas and the thirteen rivers of fairyland.
But, mother, you won't weep for me in a corner.
I am not going into the forest like Ramachandra to come back only after fourteen years.
I shall become the prince of the story, and fill my boat with whatever I like.
I shall take my friend Ashu with me. We shall sail merrily across the seven seas and the thirteen rivers of fairyland.
We shall set sail in the early morning light.
When at noontide you are bathing at the pond, we shall be in the land of a strange king.
We shall pass the ford of Tirpurni, and leave behind us the desert of Tep?ntar.
When we come back it will be getting dark, and I shall tell you of all that we have seen.
I shall cross the seven seas and the thirteen rivers of fairyland.

船伕曼特胡的船隻停泊在拉琪根琪碼頭。
這隻船無用地裝載着黃麻，無所事事地停泊在那裏已經好久了。
只要他肯把他的船借給我，我就給它安裝一百隻槳，揚起五個或六個或七個布帆來。
我決不把它駕駛到愚蠢的市場上去。我將航行遍仙人世界裏的七個大海和十三條河道。
但是，媽媽，你不要躲在角落裏爲我哭泣。
我不會像羅摩犍陀羅①似的，到森林中去，一去十四年纔回來。
我將成爲故事中的王子，把我的船裝滿了我所喜歡的東西。
我將帶我的朋友阿細和我作伴，我們要快快樂樂地航行於仙人世界裏的七個大海和十三條河道。
我將在絕早的晨光裏張帆航行。
中午，你正在池塘裏洗澡的時候，我們將在一個陌生的國王的國土上了。
我們將經過特浦尼淺灘，把特潘塔沙漠拋落在我們的後邊。
當我們回來的時候，天色快黑了，我將告訴你我們所見到的一切。
我將越過仙人世界裏的七個大海和十三條河道。