精美英文诗歌：La Coursier de Jeanne D'Arc

yuci010

　　You know that they burned her horse
　　before her. Though it is not recorded，
( C0 k( k8 @; Z3 A　　you know that they burned her Percheron
6 N! Z' d: e6 l% _8 G　　first， before her eyes， because you
　　know that story， so old that story，
　　the routine story， carried to its
　　extreme， of the cruelty that can make
　　of what a woman hears a silence，
　　that can make of what a woman sees
3 D0 ]8 Q7 T( d# y; n　　a lie. She had no son for them to burn，
( S5 d) w) J; [' Z　　for them to take from her in the world
　　not of her making and put to its pyre，
" v' r/ ~6 ~6 O' ]) H% X　　so they layered a greater one in front of
　　where she was staked to her own——
　　as you have seen her pictured sometimes，
　　her eyes raised to the sky. But they were
　　not raised. This is yet one of their lies.
' ~. q- H6 ?5 @, p4 x5 s  F  i　　They were not closed. Though her hands
+ w; g' b0 w, S" j& ]( v　　were bound behind her， and her feet were
　　bound deep in what would become fire，
　　she watched. Of greenwood stakes
5 V: p' d3 w2 f2 q6 M　　head-high and thicker than a man's waist
" m1 P' b+ l5 d8 O' s　　they laced the narrow corral that would not
9 {- K% K" j: Q　　burn until flesh had burned， until
( ^3 e8 F8 F5 _( w) ~: [# b# i　　bone was burning， and laid it thick
　　with tinder——fatted wicks and sulphur，
$ {, q, B. y: E0 r& b) V$ b　　kindling and logs——and ran a ramp
! p/ S3 s8 T1 o6 c　　up to its height from where the gray horse
# e7 \: a' ]4 j9 Z　　waited， his dapples making of his flesh
　　a living metal， layers of life
　　through which the light shone out
　　in places as it seems to through the flesh
6 g% s8 A$ `4 ^* ^　　of certain fish， a light she knew
　　as purest， coming， like that， from within.
　　Not flinching， not praying， she looked
1 m2 V6 u& r/ y- b　　the last time on the body she knew
　　better than the flesh of any man， or child，
; z& Q8 T0 W9 u) s1 h0 V- w& T　　or woman， having long since left the lap
: r  [) B; x8 S1 A2 k　　of her mother——the chest with its
　　perfect plates of muscle， the neck
  o; x/ _0 ~' W4 }# Z! q" ]/ ~　　with its perfect， prow-like curve，
, U, T$ B4 v8 ]' P3 w　　the hindquarters'——pistons——powerful cleft
　　pennoned with the silk of his tail.
　　Having ridden as they did together
6 B6 J3 _3 X5 W　　——those places， that hard， that long——
/ L% N! a& v) u) Y6 l+ j) ]　　their eyes found easiest that day
　　the way to each other， their bodies
! K* y1 R" t3 g+ C- J' t+ Y3 x* T　　wedded in a sacrament unmediated
　　by man. With fire they drove him
/ `9 c+ m( Y3 p4 h3 _4 ^4 g　　up the ramp and off into the pyre
9 Y+ ^  K! ~; u7 X　　and tossed the flame in with him.
　　This was the last chance they gave her
/ Q4 X* j% |( p2 ]7 T0 ~, {　　to recant her world， in which their power
　　came not from God. Unmoved， the Men
　　of God began watching him burn， and better，
/ @0 x3 w' [! L5 `+ v　　watching her watch him burn， hearing
　　the long mad godlike trumpet of his terror，
　　his crashing in the wood， the groan
7 x% U  i0 x3 w' N　　of stakes that held， the silverblack hide，
1 X+ z& f5 F! T  E6 B　　the pricked ears catching first
　　like driest bark， and the eyes.
6 V, N: h8 \6 [% @0 i　　and she knew， by this agony， that she
0 Y' F( u2 M4 i0 U; G　　might choose to live still， if she would
　　but make her sign on the parchment
　　they would lay before her， which now
# {6 L/ H% W6 J5 ^* g% A! t　　would include this new truth： that it
" Q4 E! z8 Q3 y5 v( Y4 Y　　did not happen， this death in the circle，
! T$ \+ w4 `5 R. }% s　　the rearing， plunging， raging， the splendid
　　armour-colored head raised one last time
　　above the flames before they took him
0 D( W3 h8 e+ G( ^$ B9 y　　——like any game untended on the spit——into
　　their yellow-green， their blackening red.
  b$ B% |8 V/ P+ [4 e' C) w/ ]1 f( D
( Q( I" V7 y0 d. \: Z* }