詩篇君想吃大蘋果 咕噠鎮
The night before Christmas
圖片來源：Alfresco Film Company
經典英文詩篇 | NO.24
'Twas the night before Christmas聖誕前夜
作 者：[美] Clement Clarke Moore
譯 者：孟 祥 欣
'Twas the night before Christmas
在聖誕節前夜
'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.
那是聖誕節的前夜，整個房子裡
安靜極了，連老鼠也是悄無聲息
長襪被小心地掛在了煙囪上
期待著聖尼古拉的隨時造訪
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
while visions of sugar plums danced in their heads.
And Mama in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,
had just settled our brains for a long winter's nap.
孩子們都依偎在被窩裡，溫暖舒適
腦子裡滿是香甜的糖果，舞動不止
媽媽戴上她的頭巾，我戴上了帽
我們要氣定神閒地睡個冬日長覺
Brain & Behavior Associates
I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
tore open the shutter, and threw up the sash.
這時草坪上有咔嗒咔嗒的聲響出現
我從床上一躍而起去看看誰在外面
我衝向窗邊，快得像一道閃光
扯開百葉窗，把窗子推到上方
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
gave the lustre of midday to objects below,
when, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
but a miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer.
月光灑落，鋪滿了新雪的胸膛
給萬物鍍上正午般閃亮的光芒
這時出現令人目瞪口呆的一幕
那是一輛小雪橇和八隻小馴鹿
With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles, his coursers they came,
and he whistled and shouted and called them by name:
駕車的是身材矮小的老車夫，敏捷活潑
我一下子就認出是聖尼古拉，那還用說
他的駿鹿們極速前行，速度遠超過老鷹
他一邊吹哨吆喝，一邊呼喚它們的大名
"Now Dasher! Now Dancer!
Now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! On, Cupid!
On, Donner and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch!
To the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away!
Dash away all!"
「駕，達舍！駕，丹瑟！
駕，普蘭策和維克森！
前進，科米特！前進，朱庇特！
前進，唐納和布萊琛！
一鼓作氣，衝到門廊頂！
一鼓作氣，衝到圍牆上！
快，向前啊！向前啊！
大伙兒一鼓作氣向前方！
As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
when they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky
so up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
with the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too.
就像是遭遇暴虐的颶風時枯葉的驟然升空
障礙橫擋路途時，他們也那樣向天上猛衝
駿鹿向著千家萬戶的屋頂奔跑，一路飛騰
拉著滿載玩具的雪橇，和聖尼古拉的身影
And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
the prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head and was turning around,
down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.
說時遲那時快，這時我聽到房子上
傳來小蹄子踏出的歡騰踢踏的聲響
我縮回了腦，剛剛把身體轉過
聖尼古拉就從煙囪裡面轟然降落
He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
and his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,
and he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.
他從頭上到腳下，身著皮革
衣服卻落滿菸灰，毫無光澤
他把一堆玩具往後背一扛
就像要把背包打開的貨郎
His eyes - how they twinkled! His dimples, how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
and the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.
他的雙眼，光芒閃爍！他的酒窩，歡樂美妙！
他的雙頰，紅若玫瑰！他的鼻子，宛若櫻桃！
他滑稽的小嘴咧著，像彎弓被拉開。
他下巴上長滿鬍鬚，如雪一般潔白。
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
and the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a broad face and a little round belly
that shook when he laughed, like a bowl full of jelly.
他的牙齒中間緊緊地咬著一隻菸斗
香菸飄著，像花環一樣繞著他的頭
他面如滿月，小肚子又圓又胖
笑起來像滿滿一碗果凍在搖晃
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
and I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself.
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head
soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.
他是一個圓圓乎乎的快活的老精靈
我一看見他就情不自禁地笑個不停
他眨眨眼睛轉過了腦袋
我突然間感到心無掛礙
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
and filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
and giving a nod, up the chimney he rose.
他一句話都沒有說，立即開始幹活
填滿了所有長襪後，猛把身子轉過
他把一根手指放到鼻子一旁
點點頭，從煙囪裡一躍上房
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, 'ere he drove out of sight,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!"
他跳上了雪橇，朝他的隊伍一聲口哨
轉眼就飛走了，像是一朵薊草的絨毛
在他駕車消失之前，我聽到他的呼喊：
「祝福所有的人都聖誕快樂，各位晚安！」
「 詩歌簡介 」
這首在英語國家(特別是美國)廣為流傳的聖誕詩歌有幾個不同的標題，如：• 'Twas the Night before Christmas• The Night Before Christmas• A Visit from St. Nicholas
這首詩歌首次發表於1823年12月23日，一經發表就廣受歡迎。據研究，很多今天我們習以為常的聖誕意象和習俗，如：聖誕老人(Santa Claus)、馴鹿、雪橇、長襪裡放禮物等等，都跟這首詩有莫大關係。
由於當時本詩歌是匿名發表，我們不能完全確定其作者，但一般認為是這首詩出自Clement Clarke Moore(1779-1863)之手。
「 詩人簡介 」
克萊門特·克拉克·穆爾(Clement Clarke Moore, 1779-1863)，美國作家，東方、希臘文學教授，同時也是聖經學教授。他最為人所知的作品就是這首詩歌。
美國的家庭有在聖誕前夜給孩子朗讀這首詩歌的傳統；因此，用「家喻戶曉」這個詞來形容這首詩毫不為過。
這首詩讀起來有著濃厚的聖誕節日氛圍，語言輕鬆活潑，很適合孩子欣賞。值得一提的是，這首詩非常押韻—詩歌的大部分詩節(verse)裡的句子都壓著「aabb」的韻腳，如：
· house/mouse
· cap/nap
· clatter/matter
· came/name
· fly/sky
· roof/hoof
· whistle/thistle
在英語這種多音節語言中做到句子長短和韻腳如此整齊，並不是一件容易的事情，更不用說這些韻腳用詞自然，絲毫沒有為了押韻而使用生僻詞彙的現象。
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