Immortal Israel
The sun and moon, that ceaselessly obey
The unchanging ordinance of night and day—
For you, O Jacob’s sons, these signs on high,
Nation eternal, ye shall not decay.
If with His left hand He hath thrust away,
Still with His right hand doth He draw you nigh.
Say not: “We languish: we are near to die,”
But know your strength immortal. So shall ye
Endure till day and night shall cease to be!
—Translated from the Hebrew by Solomon Solis-Cohen
不死的以色列
日月经天，永不停歇地运转，
昼夜交替，沿着铁定的航向。
雅各之子啊，圣迹为你显现，
永恒的邦国，你决不会消亡！
即使上帝用左手将你抛开，
他的右手依然会把你收回。
不要说“我们已衰落，濒于灭绝”，
要知道，你们的力量源源不竭，
所以要坚守，除非不再有昼夜！
注：雅各之子，即以色列人。《旧约·创世纪》32:28：神为雅各更名为以色列。
Three Love Poems
情诗三首
The Mirror
Into my eyes he loving looked,
My arms about his neck were twined,
And in the mirror of my eyes,
What but his image did he find?
Upon my dark-hued eyes he pressed
His lips with breath of passion rare.
The rogue! ’Twas not my eyes he kissed;
He kissed his picture mirrored there.
镜子
他款款地望着我的眼睛，
我用手臂将他的脖子绕起。
我的双眼就像一张明镜，
镜中映现的无非是他自己。
他亲吻了我靛蓝的双眸，
嘴唇在热烈的呼吸中贴紧。
这浪汉！他吻的哪里是我，
分明是镜中他自己的身影。
He Cometh
He cometh, O bliss!
Fly swiftly, ye winds,
Ye odorous breezes,
And tell him how long
I’ve waited for this!
O happy that night,
When sunk on thy breast,
Thy kisses fast falling,
And drunken with love,
My troth I did plight.
Again my sweet friend
Embraceth me close.
Yes, heaven doth bless us,
And now thou hast won
My love without end.
檀郎将至
檀郎将至，我心欢喜。
熏风习习，朝昏不已。
愿风疾逝，告知我心。
但为君故，长守至今。
念彼良宵，如痴如醉。
受君热吻，投君怀内。
恍兮惚兮，但记欢情。
感君真意，私订终生。
更见我友，如饴如蜜。
拥我以怀，抱我以臂。
天其佑我，有情成双。
君今得我，长爱无疆。
My Sweetheart’s Dainty Lips
My sweetheart’s dainty lips are red,
With ruby’s crimson overspread;
Her teeth are like a string of pearls;
Adown her neck her clust’ring curls
In ebon hue vie with the night,
And o’er her features dances light.
The twinkling stars enthroned above
Are sisters to my dearest love.
We men should count it joy complete
To lay our service at her feet.
But ah! what rapture in her kiss!
A forecast ’tis of heav’nly bliss!
—Translated from the Hebrew by Emma Lazarus
我的恋人，她精巧的双唇
我的恋人，她精巧的双唇
像红宝石一样艳丽动人；
唇间的皓齿如珍珠一串；
一绺绺青丝天然地舒卷，
垂到她脖项，檀木般深黑，
拂过她脸庞，比夜色更美。
闪烁的星辰从天上君临，
与我的恋人像姐妹般相亲。
男人们应对她殷勤地侍奉，
将此等劳作引以为荣幸。
啊，得到她亲吻是何等的销魂，
说是天赐之福，也决不过分！
My Heart is in the East
In the East, in the East is my heart,
And I dwell at the end of the West;
How shall I join in your feasting,
How shall I share in your jest;
How shall my offering be paid,
My vows with performance be crowned,
While Zion pineth in Edom’s bonds,
And I am pent in the Arab’s bound!
All the beauties and treasures of Spain
Are worthless as dust, in mine eyes;
But the dust of the Lord’s ruined house
As a treasure of beauty I prize.
—Translated from the Hebrew
我心向往的是东方
我心向往的是东方，
但是我住在最西头；
我怎样参与你的祝祷？
我怎样和你一同欢笑？
我的奉献怎样获得偿还？
我的誓愿怎样获得圆满？
当锡安还被以东禁锢，
我还是阿拉伯的囚徒！
西班牙的美女和财富
在我眼里全都如粪土；
上帝的荒废之处的尘土
却是我追求的美丽财富。
注：以东，即以扫，阿拉伯人的祖先；《旧约·创世纪》25:30：以扫又叫以东。以扫和雅各原是孪生兄弟，后来世代为仇。锡安，耶路撒冷山名，这里代指以色列。
The Grey Hair
One day I observed a grey hair in my head;
I plucked it right out, when it thus to me said:
“Thou mayest smile, if thou wilt, at thy treatment of me,
But a score of my friends soon will make mock of thee.”
—Translated from the Hebrew by J. Chotzner
白发
一天，我发现头上有一根白发，
我把它拔掉，却听见它在说话：
“你可以笑着把我弄掉，可不久，
嘲笑你的将是我几十个朋友。”
（选自A Treasury of Jewish Poetry, from Biblical Times to the Present, ed. Nathan & Marynn Ausubel）
2014.4.18译
犹大·哈列维 Judah Halevi (Spain, 1085-1140)，西班牙犹太诗人和哲学家。他的《颂歌》所体现的优美风格和宗教热情为他赢得了“甜美的天国歌手”称号。他的许多诗篇都成了犹太祈祷书的组成部分。犹大·哈列维的主要哲学著作是《库萨里》，这一作品是对犹太教的辩护。哈列维出生在西班牙的托莱多，在科尔多瓦附近的一所穆斯林学院学习。他曾在托莱多行医一段时间，后来前往巴勒斯坦。
