【譯文·美文】Patti Smith給青年的建議（雙語）

04-30

原文來自Patti Smith於2012年丹麥路易斯安那文學節上的演講。數年前，網友阿富汗姦細（微信號：afghanspy）曾譯出中文稿，該稿在網上多處均有轉載。但遍觀諸網站，似乎都沒有列出英文原文。故筆者制出雙語譯文，以供進一步交流學習。本譯稿為本人原創，並未抄襲他人，特此聲明。英文整理原稿來自：https://medium.com/@monicabulgari/patti-smith-advice-to-the-young-7ec5f4f979b5

A writer, or any artist, can』t expect to be embraced by the people. You know I』ve done records where it seemed like no one listened to them, you write poetry books that maybe you know, 50 people read, and you just keep doing you work, because you have to, because it』s your calling, but it』s beautiful to be embraced by the people.

一名作家，或者說任何文藝工作者，都不能期望自己會受到大眾歡迎。我錄製過一些似乎沒人會駐足聆聽的唱片。也許你創作了一些詩集，而它們只有五十個讀者。但是，你依然會堅持下去；因為你深感堅持之必要，因為藝術在召喚。不過話說回來，受到大眾歡迎還是很美好的。

Some people have said to me : 「Don』t you think that kind of success spoils one as an artist, you know if you』re a punk rocker, you don』t wanna have a hit record」, and I said 「No, fuck you」.

有人跟我說：「你不覺得那種成功（受到大眾歡迎）會腐化一個藝術家嗎？譬如，如果你是一個朋克歌手，你就不會希望自己的唱片熱銷。」而我的回答是：「放你的屁。」

You know it』s just like one does their work for the people, and the more people you can touch, the more wonderful it is. You don』t do your work and say : 「 I only want the cool people to read it.」 You know, you want everyone to be transported, or hopefully, inspired by it.

如果一個人創作了面向大眾的作品，那自然是受眾越廣，情況越好。誰都不會這樣評價自己的作品：「我只想讓酷的人來欣賞（其他人滾開）。」你當然希望，你的作品會打動每一個人；有時你甚至懷有幾分幻想——有人會從你的作品裡受到啟發。

When I was really young, William Burroughs told me, and I was really struggling, we never had any money, and the advice that William gave me was :

曾經，我稚氣未脫，苦苦奮鬥卻仍身無分文。William Burroughs給了我一些建議：

「 Build a good name.」

「要建立良好的名聲。」

「 Keep your name clean. 「

「要愛惜羽毛。」

「 Don』t make compromises」

「不要妥協。」

「Don』t worry about making a bunch of money, or being successful, be concerned with doing good work, and make the right choices, and protect your work, and if you build a good name, eventually, that name will be its own currency.」

「不要擔心賺不到大錢或無法成功。你只需關心，如何創作好作品、作正確的選擇並保護你的作品。如果建立了良好的名聲，它終會轉變成一筆財富。」

And I remember when he told me that and I said : 「 Yeah but, William, my name is Smith you know.」

我回答道：「此話在理，威廉，可我的姓氏是Smith呢。」*

*Smith在英語中也有鐵匠之意，此處Patti Smith的原意大概是，姓氏註定了她離不開有形的金屬、財富。此為Patti打趣William Burroughs「名聲系無形財富」的說法。

Just joking, but, to be an artist, actually to be a human being in this times, it』s odd difficult. You have to go through life, hopefully trying to stay healthy, being as happy as you can, and pursuing, you know, doing what you want. If what you want is to have children, if what you want is to be a baker, if what you want is to live out in the woods, or try to save the environment, or maybe what you want is to write scripts for detective shows.

只是開玩笑啦。不過，藝術家的確不好當；實際上，這個年頭，每個人的生活都不好過。你必須承受生活帶給你的一切，在追逐理想的道路上，你還得儘可能保持身心健康。而你的理想又是什麼呢：為人父母？專職烘焙？隱居山林？為環保獻身，抑或為偵探片寫劇本？

It doesn』t really matter, you know, what matters is to know what you want, and pursue it, and understand that it』s gonna be hard, because life is really difficult. You』re gonna lose people you love, you』re gonna suffer heartbreak, sometimes you』ll be sick, sometimes you』ll have really bad tooth ache, sometimes you』ll be hungry, but on the other hand, you』ll have the most beautiful experiences, sometimes just the sky, sometimes a piece of work that you do that feel so wonderful, or you find somebody to love, or your children.

其實都不重要。關鍵在於，你要明白自己的理想是什麼，然後堅持不懈地追夢。你也要做好打硬仗的心理準備，因為人生本身就很艱難。你會失去心愛之人，必須承受心碎之苦；也會遭受病痛，包括要命的牙疼；有時還可能食不果腹。但是，另一方面，你會擁有最美好的經歷。所謂美好，可能只是悠然見藍天，可能只是做出了一點成績；可能是找到了所愛之人，也可能是成人父母。

There are beautiful things in life, so, when you』re suffering, just, you know, it』s part of the package.

人生中潛藏了太多美好的可能。所以，困苦之時，提醒自己：這不過是生活的一部分罷了。

You know, you look at it : we』re born, and we also have to die. We know that. So it makes sense that we』re gonna be really happy, and things are gonna be really fucked up too. Just ride with it. It』s like a roller coaster ride. It』s never gonna be perfect, it』s gonna have perfect moments, and then rough spots, but it』s all worth it, believe me, I think it is.

不妨這樣一想：誕生於此世，人總不免一死。我們都明白。所以，無怪乎我們時而感覺快活透頂，時而感覺諸事不順。總之，順其自然吧。人生就像坐過山車，不可能一帆風順；有時攀上頂峰，有時又滑入谷底。但萬事都有其價值，相信我吧，我一直如此認為。

You know, I』m sure that each generation could say that their time was the best and the worst of times. But I think that right now, we are at something different that I』ve never seen. It』s a pioneering time, because there is no other time in history like right now. And that』s what makes it unique.

我確信，每一代人都會說他們身處最好的時代、也身處最壞的時代。但是，如今我們確實在面對前無古人的境況。這是先鋒的時代。因而，這也是獨一無二的時代。

It』s not unique because we have like Renaissance style artists, It』s unique because the people… it is the time of the people. Because technology has really democratized self-expression. Instead of a handful of people making their own records or writing their own songs,everybody can write them.

所謂「獨一無二」，並非指這個時代有文藝復興式的藝術巨人；我是指，這是一個屬於大眾的時代。技術讓「表現自我」的權利真正過渡到普羅大眾手中。以往只有少部分人能創作歌曲、出版唱片，如今，每個人都有此機會。

Everyone can post a poem on the Internet, and have people read it, everyone has access, and access that they』ve never had before, there are possibilities for global striking, for bringing down these corporations and governments who think they rule the world, because we can unite as one people through technology.

每個人都可以在互聯網上發表詩歌、擁有自己的讀者。每個人都能接觸到以往無法接觸的事物。全球罷工也好，扳倒那些自認控制了世界的集團、政府也罷，都不再是痴心妄想。因為，以科技為媒介，千萬人可以團結為一體。

We』re all still figuring it out, and what power we actually have, but the people still do have the power, more than ever, and I think right now, we』re going through this painful sort of like adolescence. Again, what do we do with this technology, what do we do with our world, who are we ?

人們還在爭論，科技究竟賦予人何種力量，人又該如何使用這力量；但無可置疑，人們手中確實緊握著前所未有的力量。我認為，對「力量」之迷思，不過正如人之青春期，問題終會迎刃而解。當然，我們還是會思考：技術的用途可以是什麼？我們該如何看待世界，我們該如何看待自身？

But, it also makes it exciting. You know, all the young people right now, the new generations, they are pioneers in a new time.

但另一方面，這些難解的問題也令人興奮。今天的所有年輕人，都是新時代的先鋒。

So, just, I say : stay strong, try to have fun but stay clean, stay healthy, because you know, you have a lot of challenges ahead, and, be happy.」

所以，我的建議是：要堅強，要及時行樂，也要清醒處世，同時還要保持健康。前路滿是挑戰，所以，積極一些吧。