（Billy Collins， 1941 - ）

致我最愛的17歲高中女孩

 （美）比利·柯林斯

    舒嘯譯

你是否意識到，如果你從出生那天起

即開始建造帕台農神廟

再有區區一年，你就能大功告畢？

當然，建成它不可能全憑你一己之力

所以，不管它了，你這樣挺好

大家愛你，就是因為你是你。

可是，你是否知道在你的年紀，

朱迪·嘉蘭拍一部片就拿美金十五萬

聖女貞德正在率領法國軍隊走向勝利

而帕斯卡已經自已收拾房間 --

噢，不對，他是發明了計算器。

當然，在你未來的年月會有時間成就大事

那是等你從自己的房間出來

開始如花綻放，或者至少撿起你到處都是的襪子。

不知怎地，我總是記起簡·格雷

年僅十五歲時就成了英國女王

可是，她後來被砍了頭，所以別想着她來做榜樣。

幾個世紀之後，還在你這麼大

舒伯特已經為全家洗碗

而這並沒妨礙他年紀輕輕地譜寫兩部交響曲

四部歌劇，和兩部完整的彌撒

當然了，那是在奧地利，浪漫抒情時期的頂點

不是在這兒，克利夫蘭的郊區。

坦白講，誰又在乎安妮·歐克利十五歲就彈無虛發

或者瑪利亞·卡拉斯十七歲登台出演托斯卡。

你把弄着自己的食物，出神凝視，你是你自己

我們覺得這就特了不起

對了，舒伯特刷碗是我胡編亂造

但並不意味着他從未在家務上伸手出力。

譯記：這位有teenager愛女的老爸顯然是希望女兒不要整天把自己關在自己房間，希望女兒能做些家務、至少撿起自己亂扔的襪子，希望女兒在餐桌上不要把弄自己的食物發呆，也希望女兒有所作為。

但是，他知道17歲的女兒不會那麼“聽話”，或許還會逆反。或是出於對女兒的愛，或是有足夠的智慧，他知道不能對女兒嚴辭責命，但又不知道究竟該如何交流。

他想用一眾著名的17歲（或以下）歷史人物來“激勵“女兒，卻明知未必奏效，更擔心產生“副作用”。

轉了半天彎子，最後說的就是：你特殊、你這樣挺好、我們愛你。

吞吞吐吐、欲言又止、止而又忍不住欲言，混合了幾分期待、幾分責備、幾分無奈、和（更多的）濃濃愛意。於是這首詩也就是既幽默又深情。

Billy Collins 原詩：

To My Favorite 17-Year-Old High School Girl 

Do you realize that if you had started

building the Parthenon on the day you were born

you would be all done in only one more year?

Of course, you couldn't have done it alone,

so never mind, you're fine just as you are.

You are loved for simply being yourself.

But did you know that at your age Judy Garland

was pulling down $150,000 a picture,

Joan of Arc was leading the French army to victory,

and Blaise Pascal had cleaned up his room?

No wait. He had invented the calculator.

Of course there will be time for that later in your life

after you come out of your room

and begin to blossom, or at least pick up all your socks.

For some reason, I keep remembering that Lady Jane Grey,

was Queen of England when she was only fifteen,

but then she was beheaded, so never mind her as a role model.

A few centuries later, when he was your age,

Franz Schubert was doing the dishes for his family

but that did not keep him from composing two symphonies,

four operas, and two complete Masses as a youngster.

But of course that was in Austria at the height

of romantic lyricism, not here in the suburbs of Cleveland.

Frankly, who cares if Annie Oakley was a crack shot at 15

or if Maria Callas debuted at Tosca at 17?

We think you are special by just being you,

playing with your food and staring into space.

By the way, I lied about Schubert doing the dishes,

but that doesn't mean he never helped out around the house.