她所坐的椅子，在大理石上
象王座閃閃發光；有一面鏡子，
鏡台鏤刻著結葡萄的藤蔓，
金黃的小愛神偷偷向外窺探，
（還有一個把眼睛藏在翅膀下）
把七枝蠟的燭台的火焰
加倍反射到桌上；她的珠寶
從緞套傾瀉出的燦爛光澤，
正好升起來和那反光相匯合。
在開蓋的象牙瓶和五彩玻璃瓶裡
暗藏著她那怪異的合成香料，
有油膏、敷粉或汁液——以違亂神智，
並把感官淹沒在奇香中；不過
受到窗外的新鮮空氣的攪動，
它們上升而把瘦長的燭火加寬，
又把燭煙投到雕漆的梁間，
使屋頂鑲板的圖案模糊了。
巨大的木器鑲滿了黃銅
閃著青綠和橘黃，有彩石圍著，
在幽光裡游著一隻浮雕的海豚。
好像推窗看到的田園景色，
在古老的壁爐架上展示出
菲羅美的變形，是被昏王的粗暴
逼成的呵；可是那兒有夜鶯的
神聖不可侵犯的歌聲充滿了荒漠，
她還在啼叫，世界如今還在追逐，
“唧格，唧格”叫給臟耳朵聽。
還有時光的其它殘骸斷梗
在牆上留著；凝視的人像傾著身，
傾著身，使關閉的屋子默默無聲。
腳步在樓梯上慢慢移動著。
在火光下，刷子下，她的頭髮
播散出斑斑的火星
閃亮為語言，以後又猛地沉寂。
“我今晚情緒不好。呵，很壞。陪著我。
跟我說話吧。怎麼不說呢？說呵。
你在想什麼？什麼呀？我從不知你想著什麼。想。 ”
我想我們是在耗子洞裡，
死人在這裡丟了骨頭。
“那是什麼聲音？”
是門洞下的風。
“那又是什麼聲音？風在幹什麼？”
虛空，還是虛空。
“你
什麼也不知道？什麼也沒看見？什麼
也不記得？ ”
我記得
那些明珠曾經是他的眼睛。
“你是活是死？你的頭腦裡什麼也沒有？”
可是
呵呵呵呵那莎士比希亞小調——
這麼文雅
這麼聰明
“如今我做什麼好？我做什麼好？”
“我要這樣衝出去，在大街上走，
披著頭髮，就這樣。我們明天干什麼？
我們究竟幹什麼？ ”
十點鐘要熱水。
若是下雨，四點鐘要帶篷的車。
我們將下一盤棋，
揉了難合的眼，等著叩門的一聲。
麗爾的男人退伍的時候，我說——
我可是直截了當，我自己對她說的，
快走吧，到時候了
艾伯特要回來了，你得打扮一下。
他要問你他留下的那筆鑲牙的錢
是怎麼用的。他給時，我也在場。
把牙都拔掉吧，麗爾，換一副好的。
他說，看你那樣子真叫人受不了。
連我也受不了，我說，你替艾伯特想想，
他當兵四年啦，他得找點樂趣，
如果你不給他，還有別人呢，我說。
呵，是嗎，她說。差不多吧，我說。
那我知道該謝誰啦，她說，直看著我。
快走吧，到時候了
你不愛這種事也得順著點，我說。
要是你不能，別人會來接你哩。
等艾伯特跑了，可別怪我沒說到。
你也不害臊，我說，弄得這麼老相。
（論年紀她才三十一歲）。
沒有法子，她說，愁眉苦臉的，
是那藥丸子打胎打的，她說。
（她已生了五個，小喬治幾乎送了她的命。）
醫生說就會好的，可是我大不如從前了。
你真是傻瓜，我說。
要是艾伯特不肯罷休，那怎麼辦，我說。
你不想生孩子又何必結婚？
快走吧，到時候了
對，那禮拜天艾伯特在家，做了熏火腿，
他們請我吃飯，要我乘熱吃那鮮味——
快走吧，到時候了
快走吧，到時候了
晚安，比爾。晚安，婁。晚安，梅。晚安。
再見。晚安。晚安。
晚安，夫人們，晚安，親愛的，晚安，晚安。
The Chair she sat in, like a burnished throne,
Glowed on the marble, where the glass
Held up by standards wrought with fruited vines
From which a golden Cupidon peeped out
(Another hid his eyes behind his wing)
Doubled the flames of sevenbranched candelabra
Reflecting light upon the table as
The glitter of her jewels rose to meet it,
From satin cases poured in rich profusion;
In vials of ivory and coloured glass
Unstoppered, lurked her strange synthetic perfumes,
Unguent, powdered, or liquid - troubled, confused
And drowned the sense in odours; stirred by the air
That freshened from the window, these ascended
In fattening the prolonged candle-flames,
Flung their smoke into the laquearia,
Stirring the pattern on the coffered ceiling.
Huge sea-wood fed with copper
Burned green and orange, framed by the coloured stone,
In which sad light a carved dolphin swam.
Above the antique mantel was displayed
As though a window gave upon the sylvan scene
The change of Philomel, by the barbarous king
So rudely forced; yet there the nightingale
Filled all the desert with inviolable voice
And still she cried, and still the world pursues,
"Jug Jug" to dirty ears.
And other withered stumps of time
Were told upon the walls; staring forms
Leaned out, leaning, hushing the room enclosed.
Footsteps shuffled on the stair.
Under the firelight, under the brush, her hair
Spread out in fiery points
Glowed into words, then would be savagely still.
"My nerves are bad to-night. Yes, bad. Stay with me.
"Speak to me. Why do you never speak. Speak.
"What are you thinking of? What thinking? What?
"I never know what you are thinking. Think."
I think we are in rats alley
Where the dead men lost their bones.
"What is that noise?"
The wind under the door.
"What is that noise now? What is the wind doing?"
Nothing again nothing.
"Do
"You know nothing? Do you see nothing? Do you remember
"Nothing?"
I remember
Those are pearls that were his eyes.
"Are you alive, or not? Is there nothing in your head?"
But
OOOO that Shakespeherian Rag -
Its so elegant
So intelligent
"What shall I do now? What shall I do?"
I shall rush out as I am, and walk the street
"With my hair down, so. What shall we do to-morrow?
"What shall we ever do?"
The hot water at ten.
And if it rains, a closed car at four.
And we shall play a game of chess,
Pressing lidless eyes and waiting for a knock upon the door.
When Lils husband got demobbed, I said -
I didnt mince my words, I said to her myself,
HURRY UP PLEASE ITS TIME
Now Alberts coming back, make yourself a bit smart.
Hell want to know what you done with that money he gave you
To get yourself some teeth. He did, I was there.
You have them all out, Lil, and get a nice set,
He said, I swear, I cant bear to look at you.
And no more cant I, I said, and think of poor Albert,
Hes been in the army four years, he wants a good time,
And if you dont give it him, theres others will, I said.
Oh is there, she said. Something o that, I said.
Then Ill know who to thank, she said, and give me a straight look.
HURRY UP PLEASE ITS TIME
If you dont like it you can get on with it, I said.
Others can pick and choose if you cant.
But if Albert makes off, it wont be for lack of telling.
You ought to be ashamed, I said, to look so antique.
(And her only thirty-one.)
I cant help it, she said, pulling a long face,
Its them pills I took, to bring it off, she said.
(Shes had five already, and nearly died of young George.)
The chemist said it would be alright, but Ive never been the same.
You are a proper fool, I said.
Well, if Albert wont leave you alone, there it is, I said,
What you get married for if you dont want children?
HURRY UP PLEASE ITS TIME
Well, that Sunday Albert was home, they had a hot gammon,
And they asked me in to dinner, to get the beauty of it hot -
HURRY UP PLEASE ITS TIME
HURRY UP PLEASE ITS TIME
Goonight Bill. Goonight Lou. Goonight May. Goonight.
Ta ta. Goonight. Goonight.
Good night, ladies, good night, sweet ladies, good night, good night.