曦父和蚱蜢
（这是屠迈的妈妈唱给娃娃听的摇篮曲）
【英】鲁迪亚德·吉卜林 著
熊良銋 译
曦父，很久前有一天坐在门口，
他让惠风吹拂，他滋润了丰收，
为人人把衣食劳作和命运安排，
从宝座上的国王到路边的乞丐。
曦父，他创造万物，是保护神。
伟矣哉！神圣哉！他创造万物——
给骆驼以荆丛，给牲口以饲料，
给孩子以安睡温暖的妈妈怀抱！
他给富人小麦，给穷人小米，
给挨家乞讨的苦行僧破东西；
把牲畜给老虎，腐肉给苍鹰，
给夜晚无遮拦的恶狼烂骨丁。
他认为无人太高贵或太低贱——
巴瓦蒂在一旁看着他们往还；
要戏弄她的曦父，换取一笑——
偷来小蚱蜢藏在怀里扑扑跳。
她这样逗乐他，曦父保护神，
伟矣哉！神圣哉！转身察看！
骆驼个子高高，牲口沉甸甸，
啊，我的宝贝，是个小不点！
财物发放完毕时，她笑问道，
“当家的，众生灵无一人漏掉？”
曦父笑答，“各有各自的一份，
就连你怀里的小不点也有准。”
巴瓦蒂把小不点从怀里拽出，
只见小不点嘴咬着一片新叶！
越看越怕月惊恐，急忙祷告，
曦父他当真给众生人人温饱！
曦父，他创造万物，是保护神。
伟矣哉！神圣哉！他创造万物——
给骆驼以荆丛，给牲口以饲料，
给孩子以安睡温暖的妈妈怀抱！
附录：原文
Shiv and the Grasshopper
(The song that Toomai’s mother sang to the baby)
Written by Rudyard Kipling
Translated by William Xiong
Shiv, who poured the harvest and made the winds to blow,
Sitting at the doorways of a day of long ago,
Gave to each his portion, food and toil and fate,
From the King upon the guddee to the Beggar at the gate.
All things made he — Shiv’s the Preserver.
Mahadeo! Mahadeo! He made all —
Thorn for the camel, fodder for the kine,
And mother’s heart for sleepy head, O little son of mine!
Wheat he gave to rich folk, millet to the poor,
Broken scraps for holy men that beg from door to door;
Battle to the tiger, carrion to the kite,
And rags and bones to wicked wolves without the wall at night.
Naught he found too lofty, none he saw too low —
Parbati beside him watched them come and go;
Thought to cheat her husband, turning Shiv to jest —
Stole the little grasshopper and hid it in her breast.
So she tricked him, Shiva the Preserver.
Mahadeo! Mahadeo! Turn and see.
Tall are the camels, heavy are the kine,
But this was Least of Little Things, O little son of mine!
When the dole was ended, laughingly she said,
“Master,
of a million mouths, is not on
Laughing, Shiv made answer, “All have had their part,
Even
he, the little on
From her breast she plucked it, Parbati the thief,
Saw the Least of Little Things gnawed a new-grown leaf!
Saw and feared and wondered, making prayer to Shiv,
Who hath surely given meat to all that live.
All things made he — Shiva the Preserver.
Mahadeo! Mahadeo! He made all —
Thorn for the camel, fodder for the kine,
And mother’s heart for sleepy head, O little son of mine!
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