狮子的女儿②

　　出自——《先驱者》
　　《先驱者》(The Forerunner)是纪伯伦用英文写成的第二本散文诗集，正式出版于1920年8月中旬，该集收入有标题的作品24篇，加上原本无标题的首篇《题记》，：共25篇。这些作品在风格上与《疯人》中的那些作品颇为相似，多数具有哲理故事或现代寓言的形式特点，少数则为充满激情、直抒胸臆的典型抒情散文诗。
　　5.狮子的女儿
　　四名奴仆站立着，为靠在王座上睡着的老女王扇风。女王打着鼾，她的膝上卧着一只猫；它不停地低吟，眼光懒洋洋地盯着奴仆们。
　　第一个权仆说话了：'这个老婆娘的睡相多么难看！瞧她下耷的嘴巴，瞧她呼吸得那么费劲，就像魔鬼正在卡住她的喉管。'
　　猫低哼而语：'她的睡相再难看，也不及你们这些醒着的奴隶丑态之一半。'
　　第二个奴仆说：'你们以为睡眠会使她的皱纹舒平一点，而不是加深；其实相反，瞧那一脸皱纹，她定在梦着什么恶魔。'
　　猫低哼着：'你们怎么不去入睡，梦见你们的自由？'
　　第三个奴仆说道：'或许她正梦见她残杀过的所有人在列队而行呢。'
　　猫低哼而语：'对，她在梦见你们的祖先和后代列队而行。'
　　第四个奴仆说：'对她评头品足虽不错，只是减轻不了我站立扇风的疲劳。'
　　猫低哼着：'你们将永生永世为人扇风，因为在天上的情报也跟在地上一样。'
　　这时，老女王的头忽然低垂了一下。她的王冠掉到了地上。
　　一个奴仆说道：'这可是凶兆。'
　　猫低哼着：'一个人的凶兆对另一个人就是吉兆。'
　　第二个奴仆说：'她要是醒来，发现王冠落地还了得！她肯定会杀了我们。'
　　猫低哼着：'自你们出生之日起，她就残杀了你们，而你们全然不知。'
　　第三个奴仆说：'的确，她会杀掉我们，并说这是祭神。'
　　猫低哼道：'只有弱者才被拿来祭神。'
　　第四个奴仆让同伴安静了下来，他轻轻拾起王冠，小心地戴在女王头上，没有把她惊醒。
　　猫低哼着：''惟有奴隶，才会把落下的王冠替主人重新戴上！'
　　过了一会儿，老女王醒来，她看看四周，打着哈欠说：'我做了一个梦，梦见一棵老橡树的树干上，四条毛虫正被一只蝎子追逐着：我不喜欢这梦。'
　　说完她闭上眼睛又睡了，不一会儿鼾声复又作起。四个奴仆继续为她扇风不止。
　　猫低吟着：'扇吧，扇吧，一帮愚氓！你们扇的乃是吞噬你们的火焰。'
　　The Lion's Daughter
　　Four slaves stood fanning an old queen who was asleep upon her throne. And she was snoring. And upon the queen's lap a cat lay purring and gazing lazily at the slaves.
　　The first slave spoke, and said, 'How ugly this old woman is in her sleep. See her mouth droop; and she breathes as if the devil were choking her.'
　　Then the cat said, purring, 'Not half so ugly in her sleep as you in your waking slavery.'
　　And the second slave said, 'You would think sleep would smooth her wrinkles instead of deepening them. She must be dreaming of something evil.'
　　And the cat purred, 'Would that you might sleep also and dream of your freedom.'
　　And the third slave said, 'Perhaps she is seeing the procession of all those that she has slain.'
　　And the cat purred, 'Aye, she sees the procession of your forefathers and your descendants.'
　　And the fourth slave said, 'It is all very well to talk about her, but it does not make me less weary of standing and fanning.'
　　And the cat purred, 'You shall be fanning to all eternity; for as it is on earth, so it is in heaven.'
　　At this moment the old queen nodded in her sleep, and her crown fell to the floor.
　　And one of the slaves said, 'That is a bad omen.'
　　And the cat purred, 'The bad omen of one is the good omen of another.'
　　And the second slave said, 'What if she should wake, and find her crown fallen! She would surely slay us.'
　　And the cat purred, 'Daily from your birth she has slain you and you know it not.'
　　And the third slave said, 'Yes, she would slay us and she would call it making a sacrifice to the gods.'
　　And the cat purred, 'Only the weak are sacrificed to the gods.'
　　And the fourth slave silenced the others, and softly he picked up the crown and replaced it, without waking her, on the old queen's head.
　　And the cat purred, 'Only a slave restores a crown that has fallen.'
　　And after a while the old queen woke, and she looked about her and yawned. Then she said, 'Methought I dreamed, and I saw four caterpillars chased by a scorpion around the trunk of an ancient oak tree. I like not my dream.'
　　Then she closed her eyes and went to sleep again. And she snored. And the four slaves went on fanning her.
　　And the cat purred, 'Fan on, fan on, stupids. You fan but the fire that consumes you.'