吉檀迦利 第五十一章

孙祎卓

The night darkened. Our day’s works had been done. We thought that the last guest had arrived for the night and the doors in the village were all shut. Only some said the king was to come. We laughed and said ‘No, it cannot be!’

It seemed there were knocks at the door and we said it was nothing but the wind. We put out the lamps and lay down to sleep. Only some said, ‘It is the messenger!’ We laughed and said ‘No, it must be the wind!’

There came a sound in the dead of the night. We sleepily thought it was the distant thunder. The earth shook, the walls rocked, and it troubled us in our sleep. Only some said it was the sound of wheels. We said in a drowsy murmur, ‘No, it must be the rumbling of clouds!’

The night was still dark when the drum sounded. The voice came ‘Wake up! delay not!’ We pressed our hands on our hearts and shuddered with fear. Some said, ‘Lo, there is the king’s flag!’ We stood up on our feet and cried ‘There is no time for delay!’

The king has come---but where are lights, where are wreaths? Where is the throne to seat him? Oh, shame! Oh utter shame! Where is the hall, the decorations? Someone has said, ‘Vain is this cry! Greet him with empty hands, lead him into thy rooms all bare!’

Open the doors, let the conch-shells be sounded! in the depth of the night has come the king of our dark, dreary house. The thunder roars in the sky. The darkness shudders with lightning. Bring out thy tattered piece of mat and spread it in the courtyard. With the storm has come of a sudden our king of the fearful night.

夜深了。我们一天的工作都已做完。我们以为投宿的客人都已来到，村里家家都已闭户了。只有几个人说，国王是要来的。我们笑了说：“不会的，这是不可能的事！”

仿佛门上有敲叩的声音。我们说那不过是风。我们熄灯就寝。只有几个人说：“这是使者！”我们笑了说：“不是，这一定是风！”

在死沉沉的夜里传来一个声音。朦胧中我们以为是远远的雷响。墙摇地动，我们在睡眠里受了惊扰。只有几个人说：“这是车轮的声音。”我们昏困地嘟哝着说：“不是，这一定是雷响！”

鼓声响起的时候天还没亮。有声音喊着说：“醒来罢！别耽误了！”我们拿手按住心口，吓得发抖。只有几个人说：“看哪，这是国王的旗子！”我们爬起来站着叫：“没有时间再耽误了！”

国王已经来到――但是灯火在哪里呢，花环在哪里呢？给他预备的宝座在哪里呢？呵，丢脸，呵，太丢脸了！客厅在哪里，陈设又在哪里呢？有几个人说了：“叫也无用了！用空手来迎接他罢，带他到你的空房里去罢！”

开起门来，吹起法螺罢！在深夜中国王降临到我黑暗凄凉的房子里了。空中雷声怒吼。黑暗和闪电一同颤抖。拿出你的破席铺在院子里罢。我们的国王在可怖之夜与暴风雨一同突然来到了。