「我的前公爵夫人」(My Last Duchess，1842)是Browning早期戲劇獨白詩佳作之一。全詩只有56行，但內容幾乎扺得上一部長篇小說。這首詩因為短小凝煉，對人物心理活動有敏銳的洞察力，是英國詩選和教材中必選之作。《我的前公爵夫人》是勃朗寧早期戲劇獨白詩中最著名的一首。詩中的獨白者是一個意大利文藝復興時期的公爵。與勃朗寧所有其他獨白詩一樣，這首詩的獨白也處于一個詩人不作明確交待，而讓讀者自己體察地特定的戲劇情境之中：公爵因前妻不做他的循規蹈矩的所有物，而把她除掉了;他預備再度結婚，對象是一位伯爵小姐;為了確定嫁妝的數量，伯爵派了一位使進來談判;公爵領著這使者觀看他的藝術收藏，中間有他的已故夫人畫像。本詩就是公爵在他已故夫人的畫像前對伯爵使者的一段“獨白”。在獨白中，公爵對畫像表現了一個藝術鑒賞家和收藏家的夸耀和自豪，面對前公爵夫人其人卻大加指責。勃朗寧正是通過公爵指責塑造了表面高尚雅量，實則冷酷殘暴、等級觀念和占有欲極強的公爵，以及熱情開朗、平等待人的前公爵夫人形象。

My Last Duchess 我的前公爵夫人

Robert Browning

That’s my last Duchess painted on the wall,

Looking as if she were alive. I call

That piece a wonder, now: Frà Pandolf’s hands

Worked busily a day, and there she stands.

墻上的這幅面是我的前公爵夫人，

看起來就像她活著一樣。如今，

我稱它為奇跡：潘道夫師的手筆

經一日忙碌，從此她就在此站立。

Will ’t please you sit and look at her? I said

’Frà Pandolf’ by design, for never read

Strangers like you that pictured countenance,

The depth and passion of its earnest glance,

But to myself they turned (since none puts by

The curtain I have drawn for you, but I)

And seemed as they would ask me, if they durst,

How such a glance came there; so, not the first

你愿坐下看看她嗎?我有意提起

潘道夫，因為外來的生客(例如你)

凡是見了畫中描繪的面容、

那真摯的眼神的深邃和熱情，

沒有一個不轉向我(因為除我外

再沒有別人把畫上的簾幕拉開)，

似乎想問我可是又不大敢問;

是從哪兒來的——這樣的眼神?

你并非第一個人回頭這樣問我。

Are you to turn and ask thus. Sir, ’t was not

Her husband’s presence only, called that spot

Of joy into the Duchess’ cheek: perhaps

Frà Pandolf chanced to say, ’Her mantle laps

Over my lady’s wrist too much,’ or ’Paint

Must never hope to reproduce the faint

先生，不僅僅是她丈夫的在座

使公爵夫人面帶歡容，可能

潘道夫偶然說過：“夫人的披風

蓋住她的手腕太多，”或者說：

“隱約的紅暈向頸部漸漸隱沒，

這絕非任何顏料所能復制。”

Half-flush that dies along her throat:’ such stuff

Was courtesy, she thought, and cause enough

For calling up that spot of joy. She had

A heart -- how shall I say? -- too soon made glad,

Too easily impressed; she liked whate’er

She looked on, and her looks went everywhere.

這種無聊話，卻被她當成好意，

也足以喚起她的歡心。她那顆心——

怎么說好呢?——要取悅容易得很，

也太易感動。她看到什么都喜歡，

而她的目光又偏愛到處觀看。

Sir, ’t was all one! my favour at her breast,

The dropping of the daylight in the West,

The bough of cherries some officious fool

Broke in the orchard for her, the white mule

She rode with round the terrace -- all and each

Would draw from her alike the approving speech,

Or blush, at least. She thanked men, -- good! but thanked

先生，她對什么都一樣!她胸口上

佩戴的我的贈品，或落日的余光;

過分殷勤的傻子在園中攀折

給她的一枝櫻桃，或她騎著

繞行花圃的白騾——所有這一切

都會使她同樣地贊羨不絕，

或至少泛起紅暈。她感激人.好的!

Somehow -- I know not how -- as if she ranked

my gift of a nine-hundred-years-old name

With anybody’s gift. Who’d stoop to blame

This sort of trifling? Even had you skill

In speech -- (which I have not) -- to make your will

Quite clear to such an one, and say, ’Just this

Or that in you disgusts me; here you miss,

Or there exceed the mark’ -- and if she let

Herself be lessoned so, nor plainly set

Her wits to yours, forsooth, and made excuse,

-- E’en then would be some stooping; and I choose

Never to stoop. Oh, sir, she smiled, no doubt,

Whene’er I passed her; but who passed without

但她的感激(我說不上怎么搞的)

仿佛把我賜她的九百年的門第

與任何人的贈品并列。誰愿意

屈尊去譴責這種輕浮舉止?即使

你有口才(我卻沒有)能把你的意志

給這樣的人兒充分說明：“你這點

或那點令我討厭。這兒你差得遠，

而那兒你超越了界限。”即使她肯聽

你這樣訓誡她而毫不爭論，

毫不為自己辯解，——我也覺得

這會有失身份，所以我選擇

絕不屈尊。哦，先生，她總是在微笑，

每逢我走過;但是誰人走過得不到

同樣慷慨的微笑?發展至此，

我下了令：于是一切微笑都從此制止。

Much the same smile? This grew; I have commands;

Then all smiles stopped together. There she stands

As if alive. Will ’t please you rise? We’ll meet

The company below then. I repeat,

The Count your master’s known munificence

Is ample warrant that no just pretence

Of mine for dowry will be disallowed;

Though his fair daughter’s self, as I avowed

At starting, is my object. Nay, we’ll go

Together down, sir. Notice Neptune, though,

Taming a sea-horse, thought a rarity,

Which Claus of Innsbruck cast in bronze for me!

她站在那兒，像活著一樣。請你起身

客人們在樓下等。我再重復一聲：

你的主人——伯爵先生聞名的大方

足以充分保證：我對嫁妝

提出任何合理要求都不會遭拒絕;

當然.如我開頭聲明的，他美貌的小姐

才是我追求的目標。別客氣，讓咱們

一同下樓吧。但請看這海神尼普頓

在馴服海馬，這是件珍貴的收藏，

是克勞斯為我特制的青銅鑄像。

Copyright (c) 1997-2000 by The Academy of American Poets