【每日克蘇魯】洛夫克拉夫特《阿撒託斯》中英文對照（Azathoth）

前言

應盒友的要求，今天給大家帶來的是洛夫克拉夫特於1922年6月創作的短篇《阿撒託斯》，是一篇非常短的文章，據說是作爲他計劃寫作的某部小說的片段，不過暫時並無證據證明。

阿撒託斯這個角色實際上是洛夫克拉夫特在後來的克蘇魯神話體系中創造的宇宙至高主神形象，關於它的詳細講解我並不打算放在本文，因爲市面上的主流規則書、各種二創和流傳的猜想已經把阿撒託斯的信息搞得亂七八糟，需要仔細梳理才能做到嚴謹；且這篇文章雖然名爲阿撒託斯，但事實上和那位主神的事沒什麼關係。

主神阿撒託斯

本文作爲洛夫克拉夫特早期作品來說真的非常夢幻，各位可以嘗試着想象文中場景來輔助閱讀，會有意外之喜。

正文

《Azathoth》

When age fell upon the world, and wonder went out of the minds of men; when grey cities reared to smoky skies tall towers grim and ugly, in whose shadow none might dream of the sun or of spring’s flowering meadow; when learning stripped earth of her mantle of beauty, and poets sang no more save of twisted phantoms seen with bleared and inward-looking eyes; when these things had come to pass, and childish hopes had gone away forever, there was a man who travelled out of life on a quest into the spaces whither the world’s dreams had fled.

當這世界年歲漸行，而人們也不再心懷奇蹟之時；當灰濛濛的城市上空煙雲繚繞，無人能在那醜陋陰冷的高塔遮蔽下夢見陽光和春日鮮花繁茂的草地之時；當知識脫去大地美麗的紗服，詩人們不再放聲歌唱，只剩下模糊閉塞的雙眼所能看到的虛幻之時；當這些已成過往、而天真的希望也早就消失殆盡之時，有一個人從生活中走出，踏上了探尋世間夢境所逃離之處的旅程。

Of the name and abode of this man but little is written, for they were of the waking world only; yet it is said that both were obscure. It is enough to know that he dwelt in a city of high walls where sterile twilight reigned, and that he toiled all day among shadow and turmoil, coming home at evening to a room whose one window opened not on the fields and groves but on a dim court where other windows stared in dull despair. From that casement one might see only walls and windows, except sometimes when one leaned far out and peered aloft at the small stars that passed. And because mere walls and windows must soon drive to madness a man who dreams and reads much, the dweller in that room used night after night to lean out and peer aloft to glimpse some fragment of things beyond the waking world and the greyness of tall cities. After years he began to call the slow-sailing stars by name, and to follow them in fancy when they glided regretfully out of sight; till at length his vision opened to many secret vistas whose existence no common eye suspects. And one night a mighty gulf was bridged, and the dream-haunted skies swelled down to the lonely watcher’s window to merge with the close air of his room and make him a part of their fabulous wonder.

由於皆只存在於清醒世界，所以關於這個人的名字和居處，幾乎沒有任何記載，據說也無人知曉。只知道他曾棲身於一座高牆圍障的城市裏，整日在貧瘠的暮色籠罩下伴着混亂與陰霾辛勤勞作，夜間歸來，家中唯一一扇窗子還並非面向原野和林地，而是對着昏暗的庭院，經受其他窗子死氣沉沉的注視。從那扇窗戶向外望去，看到的就只是高牆和窗口，唯有偶爾將身子探出窗外並向着上空看去，才能望見微小星辰的經過。而滿眼的高牆和窗子足以將一個愛讀書、愛尋夢的人逼瘋，因此他一夜又一夜地將身子探出去，只爲向空中凝望，以瞥見清醒世界之外的寥寥碎片以及這高聳城市的灰暗乏味。多年以後，他開始爲那些緩行的星星命名，即便它們令人遺憾地滑出視野，他也依然會在想象之中繼續追隨；直到最後，他甚至能夠看見許多常人根本無法覺察的隱祕景象。終於，在一天晚上，那份無法穿越的隔閡被打開了，如夢似幻的天空瀰漫而下，穿過孤獨的觀星者的窗扉，與空氣交融在一起，並將他擁進那絕妙的奇景當中。

There came to that room wild streams of violet midnight glittering with dust of gold; vortices of dust and fire, swirling out of the ultimate spaces and heavy with perfumes from beyond the worlds. Opiate oceans poured there, litten by suns that the eye may never behold and having in their whirlpools strange dolphins and sea-nymphs of unrememberable deeps. Noiseless infinity eddied around the dreamer and wafted him away without even touching the body that leaned stiffly from the lonely window; and for days not counted in men’s calendars the tides of far spheres bare him gently to join the dreams for which he longed; the dreams that men have lost. And in the course of many cycles they tenderly left him sleeping on a green sunrise shore; a green shore fragrant with lotus-blossoms and starred by red camalotes.

隨後，一股股紫羅蘭色的涓流裹攜着金色粉塵在暗夜中湧入房間；塵埃和火焰形成漩渦，吸滿那異界的芳香，自虛空中悄然出現。醉人的**傾覆而下，被那輪人眼也許永遠無法觸及的耀日所照亮，漩渦中游弋着的，是早已被人遺忘之深海中的奇異海豚和海中仙女。無盡虛空在夢者身邊無聲無息地緩緩旋轉，將他僵靠在窗邊的身體推拂而出，在人類無法計算的時日裏，從那遙遠領域而來的潮汐，輕柔地把他帶入了渴盼已久的、人類早已遺失了的夢境之中。在時間的往復循環中，海浪溫和地將他放在一處晨光照耀的翠綠海岸安眠，陪伴着他的，是斑駁的紅色水植和盛放蓮花的恬淡香氣。