【英诗中译】 Jonathan Aaron：Night of the Demon-魔鬼之夜

yeathman

Night of the Demon	魔鬼之夜
By Jonathan Aaron
(Columbia Pictures, 1957)	（哥伦比亚影业公司，1957年）
A strip of paper with words on it	羊皮纸上写满了死亡文字，
in a dead language jerks from your fingers	从你的手指间挣脱而去，
as if tied to an invisible string.	似乎被一条无形的绳索所拉扯。
It scampers straight into the fire, then	羊皮纸直奔向壁炉，然后
up the chimney in a single ash. And suddenly	化为灰烬，从烟囱飘出。瞬间
who you were isn’t who you are.	你前后已经完全转变。
Yesterday, your god was the scientific method.	不远处农夫正在圈马过夜，
Now, you don’t have time to even laugh	孩子们在为作业冥思苦想，
at anyone who thinks this world is still the one in which	姑娘在给远方的姐姐打电话，
not far from here a tired farmer stables his horses	有人据此认为这世界仍然平和。
for the night, children ponder their schoolwork,	如今，你对他们已无暇嘲笑，
a woman dials her sister in Lyme Regis.	而昨日，你只对撒旦教忠贞不二。
Driving too fast through the hopeless dark,	驾车急速驶过无助的黑暗，
the trees and hedgerows blurred	狂乱地冲出你的目的地，
in their frantic rush away from your destination,	车外树木变得模糊不清。
all you can see in your headlights’ sickening glare	在车灯微弱的光束中，你只看到
is that momentary feather of flame,	火球瞬间闪出的火焰，
and the ghost of your own hand grasping at nothing.	以及手掌抓空时产生的幻影。

yeathman

Night of the Demon，哥伦比亚影业公司1957年出品。国内翻译为《魔鬼的诅咒》。下面是英文的剧情：
In England, Professor Harrington approaches Dr. Julian Karswell, the leader of a satanic cult, promising to call off an investigation of the cult if Karswell would call off "what he has started". Karswell agrees. After learning that a parchment given to Harrington has disintegrated, he ushers Harrington out. After Harrington arrives at his home, a demon materializes in the woods and approaches Harrington. Fleeing in his car, Harrington crashes into a telegraph pole which causes falling power lines to electrocute him.
Dr. John Holden arrives in England to attend a convention where Harrington had intended to expose Karswell's cult. Holden is informed of Harrington's death and that the only link between it and Karswell's cult is an accused murderer, Rand Hobart, who has fallen into a catatonic stupor. While Harrington's collaborators consider the possibility of supernatural forces, Holden rejects the idea as superstition.
Following Harrington's notes, Holden visits the British Museum's library to examine books on witchcraft. A book Harrington requests is discovered to be missing. He is approached by Karswell, who offers to show Holden his own copy at his mansion. At Harrington's funeral, Holden meets the dead man's niece, Joanna, who provides him with Harrington's diary. The diary reveals Harrington's increasing fear of Karswell's power. Holden remains skeptical, but goes with Joanna to Karswell's mansion the next day.

Karswell (Niall MacGinnis, left) meets a skeptical Holden (Dana Andrews)
There, Holden and Karswell mock one another's beliefs. A very strong windstorm abruptly starts, which Karswell claims to have created with a spell. When Holden continues to mock Karswell, Karswell grows angry and predicts that Holden will die in three days.
At his hotel, Holden and his colleagues discuss Karswell and make plans to further examine Rand Hobart. Harrington's diary mentions the parchment passed to him by Karswell. Holden finds a parchment with runic inscriptions, that Karswell secretly passed to him at the library. Powerful winds come through the window, blowing the parchment from his fingers. It nearly burns in the fireplace before Holden rescues and pockets it.
Holden begins to feel more uneasy after a visit to Hobart's family, who disowned Hobart as "not a true believer". As Holden leaves, the parchment flies from his hand again. Hobart's family become fearful and declare Holden to be "chosen". Holden compares the parchment's runes to ones inscribed on the nearby stone circle at Stonehenge.
Joanna takes Holden to Karswell's mother, who has arranged a seance. The medium begins to channel Harrington, who tells them that Karswell has the key to the problem from his book. Holden leaves, dismissive towards both the medium and Mrs. Karswell. That night, Holden breaks into Karswell's mansion to examine the book. He is caught by Karswell, but is permitted to leave. Holden leaves through the woods and finds himself being chased by a living ball of smoke. On escaping the forest, Holden finds it has vanished. He reports the event to the police but feels embarrassed, believing that he is falling for Karswell's mindgames.
While Holden prepares an experiment to break Hobart's stupor, Joanna is kidnapped from her car. Under hypnosis, Hobart explains that he was "chosen" to die by having a parchment with a curse passed to him, but avoided death by passing it to another person. When Holden shows Hobart the parchment he received from Karswell, Hobart goes berserk and leaps from a window to his death.
Informed that Karswell is leaving London by train, Holden races to catch it. He finds Karswell with Joanna. Karswell avoids any contact with Holden to guard against the parchment being passed back to him and grows increasingly fearful. When the train stops at the next station, Karswell tries to leave, but Holden manages to sneak the parchment into his coat. As Karswell realizes this, the parchment flies from his hands. He chases it down to the tracks, where the parchment burns to ashes. As an oncoming train approaches, a demon appears above it, grabs Karswell, and slashes his body. The station crew find Karswell's mangled body and believe that he was struck by the train.

童天鉴日

    靠，国庆大餐啊

童天鉴日

今天得细嚼慢咽了...楼主的译本用词一贯很讲究，童天想挑刺...还没发现了

yeathman

    童版，这是国庆的作业，呵呵！无聊时的文字游戏！

yeathman

    我是来学习的，希望童版能够多花点时间来指点！

童天鉴日

    叶兄过谦啦。童天喜欢慢慢找刺儿，哈哈，比较赖皮呐