最近逝世的美国文坛巨星，除小说家SAUL BELLOW外，还有诗人克里利

(ROBERT CREELEY)。我在上世纪七十年代曾翻译过他的诗，其中两首

LIKE THEY SAY 及THE WIFE还被我收入双语诗选《让盛宴开始─我喜爱

的英文诗》(书林，台北，1999)里。 克里利(1926-2005) 年生于麻萨诸塞

州 。在哈佛念过书。第二次世界大战期间曾在缅甸服役。他自“垮掉的一代”

(BEAT GENERATION POETS)起家，与Kerouac 及金斯堡等齐名，也为后现

代诗的健将。1954年到黑山学院念书，并编辑《黑山评论》，为黑山派最具

影响力的一员。网络上有一个叫Conjunctions.com.的网站最近为他设立了一

个纪念网页(http://www.conjunctions.com/creeleytribute.htm)，通过网站编辑，
张贴各地诗人学者及友人悼念他的文字，最近在它上面张贴的是美国诗坛两个

响当当的诗人John Ashbery及Adrienne Rich。我前些日子也在它上面张贴了

几句话及一首诗，作为对他的纪念：

I translated Robert Creeley's poems "Like They Say" and "The Wife" into

Chinese in the seventies. Both poems were included in my bilingual book

of poetry "Let the Feast Begin ─ My favorite English Poems" published in

Taiwan several years ago. His poetry has been one of my great American

influences.

Spring
--In Memory of Robert Creeley

Spring is a bed
sweet
yet short

awaking from hibernation
you are about to yawn yet suddenly
you find your outstretched limbs
confined

下面是我翻译的克里利的两首诗：

LIKE THEY SAY

Underneath the tree on some
soft grass I sat, I

watched two happy
woodpeckers be dis-

turbed by my presence. And
why not, I thought to

myself, why
not.

如他们所说

在树底下，坐在
柔软的草上，我

看两只快活的
啄木鸟被

我打扰。干吗
不呢，我对自己

说，干吗
不。

THE WIFE

I know two women

and the one
is tangible substance,

flesh and bone.

The other in my mind

occurs.
She keeps her strict

proportion there.

But how should I

propose to live

with two such creatures

in my bed--

or how shall he

who has a wife

yield two to one

and watch the other die.

妻

我认识两个女人

一个
是可触可摸的

骨肉。

另一个在我心头

盘踞。
寸土不肯

相让。

但我该怎么

过活
同两个这样的女人

在我床上─

或者有妻子的他

该如何
为了迁就一个

而眼睁睁看另一个死亡。