Walt Whitman
1
FIRST O songs for a prelude,
Lightly strike on the stretch'd tympanum pride and joy in my city,
How she led the rest to arms, how she gave the cue ,
How at once with lithe limbs unwaiting a moment she sprang,
(O superb! O Manhattan, my own, my peerless!
O strongest you in the hour of danger, in crisis! O truer than steel!)
How you sprang—how you threw off the costumes of peace with indifferent hand,
How your soft opera-music changed, and the drum and fife were heard in their stead,
How you led to the war, (that shall serve for our prelude, songs of soldiers,)
How Manhattan drum-taps led.
2
Forty years had I in my city seen soldiers parading,
Forty years as a pageant, till unawares the lady of this teeming and turbulent city,
Sleepless amid her ships, her houses, her incalculable wealth,
With her million children around her, suddenly,
At dead of night, at news from the south,
Incens'd struck with clinch'd hand the pavement.
A shock electric, the night sustain'd it,
Till with ominous hum our hive at daybreak pour'd out its myriads.
From the houses then and the workshops, and through all the doorways,
Leapt they tumultuous , and lo! Manhattan arming.
3
To the drum-taps prompt,
The young men falling in and arming,
The mechanics arming, (the trowel, the jack-plane, the black-smith's hammer, tost aside with precipitation,)
The lawyer leaving his office and arming, the judge leaving the court,
The driver deserting his wagon in the street, jumping down, throwing the reins abruptly down on the horses' backs,
The salesman leaving the store, the boss, book-keeper, porter, all leaving;
Squads gather everywhere by common consent and arm,
The new recruits , even boys, the old men show them how to wear their accoutrements, they buckle the straps carefully,
Outdoors arming, indoors arming, the flash of the musket-barrels,
The white tents cluster in camps, the arm'd sentries around, the sunrise cannon and again at sunset,
Arm'd regiments arrive every day, pass through the city, and embark from the wharves ,
(How good they look as they tramp down to the river, sweaty, with their guns on their shoulders!
How I love them! how I could hug them, with their brown faces and their clothes and knapsacks cover'd with dust!)
The blood of the city up—arm'd! arm'd! the cry everywhere,
The flags flung out from the steeples of churches and from all the public buildings and stores,
The tearful parting, the mother kisses her son, the son kisses his mother,
(Loth is the mother to part, yet not a word does she speak to detain him,)
The tumultuous escort , the ranks of policemen preceding, clearing the way,
The unpent enthusiasm, the wild cheers of the crowd for their favorites,
The artillery , the silent cannons bright as gold, drawn along, rumble lightly over the stones,
(Silent cannons, soon to cease your silence,
Soon unlimber'd to begin the red business;)
All the mutter of preparation, all the determin'd arming,
The hospital service, the lint, bandages and medicines,
The women volunteering for nurses, the work begun for in earnest; no mere parade now;
War! an arm'd race is advancing! the welcome for battle, no turning away;
War! be it weeks, months, or years, an arm'd race is advancing to welcome it.
4
Mannahatta a-march—and it's O to sing it well!
It's O for a manly life in the camp.
And the sturdy artillery,
The guns bright as gold, the work for giants, to serve well the guns,
Unlimber them! (no more as the past forty years for salutes for courtesies merely,
Put in something now besides powder and wadding.)
5
And you lady of ships, you Mannahatta,
Old matron of this proud, friendly, turbulent city,
Often in peace and wealth you were pensive or covertly frown'd amid all your children,
But now you smile with joy exulting old Mannahatta.
* * *
[ˈtimpənəm] n.
鼓面
-cue
[kjuː] n.
暗示
-fife
[faif] n.
横笛
[ˈtɜːbjulɑnt] adj.
骚动的
[ˈmiriəd] n.
无数
[tjuˈmʌltjuəs] adj.
骚动的
[skwɔd] n.
小队
[riˈkruːt] vt.
征募（新兵）
[wɔːv] n.
码头
[ˈeskɔːt] n.
护卫队
[ɑːˈtiləri] n.
炮兵部队
[ˈmænli] adj.
勇敢的
[ˈstəːdi] n.
强健的
[ˈʌnlimbə] vt.
把炮从牵引车上卸下
[ˈmeitrən] n.
（年长）已婚妇女
* * *
惠特曼
一
哦，歌儿呵，先来一个序曲，
我们城里的骄傲和喜悦，轻轻地在绷紧的鼓皮上敲出，
这座城的女护神领导别人向战争——她教别人以方法，
她带着轻快的手脚跃起，一分钟也不等；
（哦，宏大的城！哦，曼哈顿，我自己的、无敌的城！
哦，你呵，在危急存亡的关头最坚强的城呵！哦，比钢铁更坚贞的城呵！）
你跃起了！你用决断的手把和平的服装抛弃了；
你那柔曼的歌剧音乐改变了，换了鼓和笛的声音了；
你领导一切向战争，（那将作为我们的序曲，战士的歌，）
曼哈顿的鼙鼓声声领导着一切。
二
我在这城中看见兵士的行列已经有四十年了；
四十年作为一个辉煌的行列——直到，不知不觉地，这拥挤而骚动的城市的女神，
不眠在她的船群中，和一幢幢屋子间，和计算不清的财产中，
带着她四周的千百万个孩子——突然，
在死寂的夜间，南方的消息一到，
她被激怒了，以紧握着的手捶击了路面。
一个闪电的打击——但夜支持了它，
直到带着恶兆的喧噪，我们的蜂房倾注出了千万群众，在黎明。
于是，从房屋里，从工场上，跨出一切门户，
人们骚动地跃起了——看啊！曼哈顿武装起来了。
三
跟着及时的鼓声，
青年们集合起来了，武装起来了；
机械工人武装起来了，（泥刀，粗刨，铁匠的锤子，都被匆促地抛在一边了；）
律师离开事务所，武装起来了——法官离开法庭；
车夫在街上遗弃他的运货马车，跳下来，突然把缰绳丢在马背上；
店员离开柜台——工头，会计员，挑夫，都在离开原来的地方；
用共同的意志和手臂，一小队一小队在各处集合了；
新兵们，连孩子都有——老人告诉他们怎样佩带配备——他们小心地扣好皮带；
在户外武装着——在户内武装着——毛瑟枪筒的闪光；
白色的篷帐在营地群集——四周有武装的哨兵——太阳升起时的大炮，还有日落时的大炮，
每天有武装的军团到来，穿过这城市，在码头上登船；
（当他们流着汗，肩上扛着枪枝，大踏步向河岸走去的时候，他们看来多么善良呵！
我多爱他们呵！我多想拥抱他们呵，连同他们棕色的面庞，他们惹满尘埃的衣服和背囊！）
这城市的血液沸腾了——武装！武装！到处是这个呐喊；
旗帜跃出了，从教堂的尖顶上，从一切公共建筑上和仓库上；
眼泪纵横的离别——母亲吻儿子——儿子吻母亲；
（母亲是不愿分离的——但她不说一句话来挽留他；）
喧嚣的卫护者——警士的行列在前引导，肃清道路；
爆发的热忱——群众对于所爱者的欢呼；
炮兵队——一尊尊沉默的大炮，黄金般闪光，被拉着向前，轻轻地碾过石面；
（沉默的大炮呵——立刻就要终止你们的沉默了！
立刻，从车上解了下来，就要开始那红色的事业了；）
一切的准备的声音——一切决定了的武装；
医院里的服务——外科用的亚麻布，绷带，药品；
作志愿护士的女子——已经诚恳地开始工作了——现在不单单是兵士的行列了；
战争！一个武装的种族在行进！——迎接战争——决不转向；
战争！尽管它要几星期，几月，甚至几年——一个武装的种族已经在行进以迎接战争。
四
在行进的曼哈顿！——哦，好好地歌唱它啊！
哦，那战地上的勇士生涯！
还有那刚强的炮兵队！
枪炮，闪亮如黄金——巨人的工作——好好伺候枪炮；
把它们解下来！不要像过去四十年似的，只对它们行礼和致敬；
除了火药和填弹塞外，现在再放些别的东西进去吧。
五
而你呵，船群中的女护神！你曼哈顿！
这骄傲的、友善的、混乱的城市的年老的保姆呵！
在和平与富足中，你常是沉思着的，或者，在你一切的孩子群中隐蔽地皱着眉的；
但是现在，你因喜悦而微笑了，欢腾的老曼哈顿呵！