Plath: Medusa

Sylvia Plath Collected Poems
No.184

　　　Medusa

Off that landspit of stony mouth-plugs,
Eyes rolled by white sticks,
Ears cupping the sea's incoherences,
You house your unnerving head---God-ball,
Lens of mercies,

Your stooges
Plying their wild cells in my keel's shadow,
Pushing by like hearts,
Red stigmata at the very center,
Riding the rip tide to the nearest point of departure,

Dragging their Jesus hair.
Did I escape, I wonder?
My mind winds to you
Old barnacled umbilicus, Atlantic cable,
Keeping itself, it seems, in a state of miraculous repair.

In any case, you are always there,
Tremulous breath at the end of my line,
Curve of water upleaping
To my water rod, dazzling and grateful,
Touching and sucking.

I didn't call you.
I didn't call you at all.
Nevertheless, nevertheless
You steamed to me over the sea,
Fat and red, a placenta

Paralysing the kicking lovers.
Cobra light
Squeezing the breath from the blood bells
Of the fuchsia. I could draw no breath,
Dead and moneyless,

Overexposed, like an X-ray.
Who do you think you are?
A Communion wafer? Blubbery Mary?
I shall take no bite of your body,
Bottle in which I live,

Ghastly Vatican.
I am sick to death of hot salt.
Green as eunuchs, your wishes
Hiss at my sins.
Off, off, eely tentacle!

There is nothing between us.
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　16 October 1962

普拉斯《诗全编》
第184首

　　　美杜莎

石头口塞形成陆地之痰，在它
之外，眼睛滚过白色棍棒，
耳朵聚拢大海断续的涛声，
你，收容着你没有神经的头颅——上帝的球，
仁慈的晶体。

你的狗腿子们
在我脊骨的阴影中播撒他们狂热的细胞，
像一颗颗心涌过，
最中心的红斑，
追逐着回头浪，涌向最近的离岸点，

拖着耶稣的长发。
我自问，我逃过吗？
我的心思蜿蜒伸向你，
脐带如老藤壶，大西洋电缆，
似乎依靠维修竟也保持了难以置信的状态。

不管怎么说，你总在那里，
我电话线终端颤悠悠的呼吸，
一弯海水冲洗
我的测水杆，水光粼粼，满心感激，
抚摸，吮吸。

我没有呼叫你。
根本就没有电召你。
即便如此，尽管如此，
你还是隔海送来一团蒸汽，
肥腻、血红，一只胎盘

令蹬脚挣扎的情侣瘫痪。
眼镜蛇的光
将气息从倒挂金钟的血红花朵里
挤掉。我，已无法喘气，
死透了、没钱了，

曝光过度了，像X光一样。
你以为你是谁？
圣餐饼？水母玛利亚？
你的身体我一口也不会咬，
我住在你这瓶子里，

可怖的梵蒂冈。
那热烘烘的咸味真令我恶心。
你的祝福，太监一样绿，
对我的罪孽嘶嘶吐芯。
滚开，滚开，鳗鱼似的触须！

你我之间没有任何瓜葛。
　　　　　　　1962年10月16日