理查二世的反思

在看根据莎士比亚历史剧原著改编的连续剧《空王冠》（The Hollow Crown，古尔德执导，卫肖、艾恩斯、希德勒斯顿等主演，2012），又一次品味了莎士比亚对王权的批判。作品中的理查二世在众叛亲离的情况下有两段独白，完全照读莎翁的原文，反思了王权及其结果。我照录并翻译如下——
And tell sad stories of the death of kings. How some have been deposed, some slain in war, some haunted by the ghosts they have deposed, some poisoned by their wives, some sleeping killed. All murdered.
说说国王之死的悲哀故事吧。看看他们的下场——有些惨遭废黜，有些死于战争，有些被其所废黜的冤魂纠缠，有些被其妻子毒死，有些在梦中被杀。无一善终。
For within the hollow crown that rounds the mortal temples of a king keeps Death his court. And there the antic sits, scoffing his state and grinning at his pomp, allowing him a breath, a little scene, to monarchize, be feared and kill with looks infusing him with self and vain conceit, as if this flesh, which walls about our life, were brass impregnable. And, humoured thus, and, with a little pin, bores through his castle wall and, Farewell, King!
因为，在这箍着国王凡俗肉体之穹颅的空王冠里，始终住着其王朝的死神。那妖魔坐在里面，嘲笑着国王的威严，讥笑着他的华丽，让他残喘片刻，短暂登场，君临众生，被万民恐惧，眨一下眼睛就能致人死命，这便把妄自尊大注入他的头脑，让他觉得那包住生命的皮囊彷佛是坚不可摧的铁壁铜墙。然而，如此这般志得意满，一根小小的针，就能刺透他的城堡壁垒，然后，别了，国王！
莎翁的伟大是恒久的，四百多年前写就的话，至今仍有深刻的启迪意义。空心或空虚是王冠的本质，王冠终究会空，王权盛极必衰，王威恐极必反，到头来一根细针就能刺透戳垮王国的铜墙铁壁。
配图取自网络