詩鈔

 Dulce et Decorum Est

by Wilfred Owen

Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,

Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,

Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs,

And towards our distant rest began to trudge.

Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots,

But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind;

Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots

Of gas-shells dropping softly behind.

Gas! GAS! Quick, boys!—An ecstasy of fumbling

Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time,

But someone still was yelling out and stumbling

And flound’ring like a man in fire or lime.—

Dim through the misty panes and thick green light,

As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.

In all my dreams before my helpless sight,

He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.

If in some smothering dreams, you too could pace

Behind the wagon that we flung him in,

And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,

His hanging face, like a devil’s sick of sin;

If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood

Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,

Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud

Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,—

My friend, you would not tell with such high zest

To children ardent for some desperate glory,

The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est

Pro patria mori.

Notes:

Latin phrase is from the Roman poet Horace: “It is sweet and fitting to die for one’s country.”

N/a

Source: Poems (Viking Press, 1921)

(source: Poetryfoundation.rog)

一個英國士兵在一戰時寫給母親的信上， 寫下了這首詩。  時間大概是一九一七年。  他看到他的戰友因為來不及戴上防毒面具後的悲慘情景。  

一戰後，歐洲很多皇室都垮了。  當時有些人認為一戰的興起都是因為這些國王的之間私仇，導致一次世界大戰。  但是， 到了第二次世界大戰呢？  民主後的國家，再次造成大戰。  這似乎不是民主或不民主的問題，也不是專制和民主的對抗。  而是像老鼠生得太多後，就會自相殘殺？    我記得我看過一個十九世紀末的文章，文章裡提到當時的歐洲國家都在計算自身的人口，作為廟算的權衡。  

Dulce et decorum est

Pro patria mori.

是一戰前很有名的一句詩，是一句古代羅馬詩人 Horace 的詩， 意思是為國家而死是甜蜜而且適當的。  詩人在一九一七年寫這封信的對象是母親，但是這首詩實在是回應戰前一批鼓勵國人上戰場的一群人裡的一位女詩人。  

我現在看到一戰的情景正在上映。  烏森不斷說中共要打台灣， 而俄烏戰爭也已開打。  烏森從 08 年前後就已經展開他對中共的包圍。  這個包圍到現在已經很緊緊了。  另外， 中共在 2000年只以幾十艘戰船。  現在有三百五十艘以上。  這個情況也讓我替台灣捏一把冷汗。  無論是兩岸哪一個領導人， 請看看敘利亞，看看烏克蘭。  和平共存救中國。  永遠不要忘記 季梁的諫語。