內疚頌
維斯瓦娃·辛波絲卡
禿鷹從來不會譴責自己
黑豹也不知道「忌憚」的意義
當食人鯧撲殺時，牠沒有一點愧疚
如果蛇有雙手，牠們必會宣稱雙手純淨無垢
豺狼從來不懂得後悔
獅子和蝨子施襲時同樣毫不猶疑
為甚麼要猶疑呢？這都是牠們所知道的生存之道
可以說，殺人鯨的心臟縱然重若千斤
但牠們的心卻輕省無比
在這獸性橫行的太陽系第三大行星——地球之上
唯有澄明的良心才是至高無上的
（中文翻譯：伍美蓮，2013/12/6）
In Praise of Feeling Bad About Yourself
Wisława
Szymborska
The
buzzard never says it is to blame.
The
panther wouldn't know what scruples mean.
When
the piranha strikes, it feels no shame.
If
snakes had hands, they'd claim their hands were clean.
A
jackal doesn't understand remorse.
Lions
and lice don't waver in their course.
Why
should they, when they know they're right?
Though
hearts of killer whales may weigh a ton,
in
every other way they're light.
On
this third planet of the sun
among the signs of bestiality
a
clear conscience is Number One.
(English version translated by Stanislaw
Baranczak and Clare Cavanagh)
