〈One Art〉 by Elizabeth Bishop

〈One Art〉

by Elizabeth Bishop


The art of losing isn't hard to master;
so many things seem filled with the intent
to be lost that their loss is no disaster.

Lose something everyday. Accept the fluster
of lost door keys, the hour badly spent.
The art of losing isn't hard to master.

Then practice losing farther, losing faster:
places, and names, and where it was you meant
to travel. None of these will bring disaster.

I lost my mother's watch. And look! my last, or
next-to-last, of three loved houses went.
The art of losing isn't hard to master.

I lost two cities, lovely ones. And vaster,
some realms I owned, two rivers, a continent.
I miss them, and it wasn't a disaster.

──Even losing you (the joking voice, a gesture
I love) I shan't have lied. It's evident
the art of losing's not too hard to master
though it may look like (Write it!) like disaster.



〈一種藝術〉　《寫給雨季的歌　伊莉莎白．碧許詩選》曾珍珍譯


失落的藝術要精通並不難；
好多的人事物似乎本來就打定主意
要失落，失去它們因此不算災難。

天天都在失去某樣東西。即使狼狽也得隨遇而安
丟掉的大門鑰匙，胡亂度過的那個小時。
失落的藝術要精通並不難。

更遙遠的失落，更快速的失落要經常練習：
熟悉的地方，人名，以及你朝思暮想
想要前去覽游的名勝。失去這些不會帶來災難。

我弄丟了母親的手錶。還有！先前那棟，
甚至更早先的那棟，總共三棟心愛的房子。
失落的藝術要精通並不難。

我失去了兩座城市，可愛的城市。更遼闊的，
我曾擁有的某些地域，兩條河流，一整片洲原。
天天思念，不過，這不曾帶來災難。

就連失去你（那老愛說笑的聲音，一道手勢
是我深深愛著的）原諒我不願說謊。顯然
失落的藝術要精通依舊不難
即使看起來好像（寫出來吧！）好像一場災難。