天真与经验之歌:第38篇 人的抽象观念

 　　The Human Abstract 人的抽象观念

　　Pity would be no more 那就无须有什么怜悯，

　　If we did not make somebody poor, 若是我们并没有使人穷困：

　　And Mercy no more could be 也不必再施什么恩德，

　　If all were as happy as we. 若是所有的人都像我们这样快乐：

　　And mutual¹ fear brings Peace, 互相的畏惧带来了和平，

　　Till the selfish loves increase; 直到自私的爱与日倶增。

　　Then Cruelty knits a snare², 于是残酷织成一张罗网，

　　And spreads his baits with care. 小心翼翼地把钓饵装上。

　　He sits down with holy fears, 他坐下来，怀着神圣的敬畏，

　　And waters the ground with tears; 地面沾湿了他的眼泪：

　　Then Humility³ takes its root 然后谦逊便生了根

　　Underneath⁴ his foot. 就在他的脚下生存。

　　Soon spreads the dismal⁵ shade of Mystery over his head, 不久奥秘在他的头顶笼罩下阴暗的黑影；

　　And the caterpillar⁶ and fly 而幼虫和虻蝇

　　Feed on the Mystery. 就靠奥秘喂养为生。

　　And it bears the fruit of Deceit, 结出了奸诈的果实

　　Ruddy and sweet to eat, 红红的，又甜又好吃：

　　And the raven⁷ his nest has made 而乌鸦把他的巢筑成，

　　In its thickest shade. 就在它那最浓密的树阴。

　　The gods of the earth and sea 大地与海洋的诸神，

　　Sought through nature to find this tree, 在大自然中把这棵树遍寻，

　　But their search was all in vain: 但他们的搜寻毫无所得；

　　There grows one in the human Brain. 在人类的头脑里就长着一棵。

1 mutual   

adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的

参考例句：

• We must pull together for mutual interest.我们必须为相互的利益而通力合作。
• Mutual interests tied us together.相互的利害关系把我们联系在一起。

2 snare   

n.陷阱，诱惑，圈套；（去除息肉或者肿瘤的）勒除器；响弦，小军鼓；vt.以陷阱捕获，诱惑

参考例句：

• I used to snare small birds such as sparrows.我曾常用罗网捕捉麻雀等小鸟。
• Most of the people realized that their scheme was simply a snare and a delusion.大多数人都认识到他们的诡计不过是一个骗人的圈套。

3 humility   

n.谦逊，谦恭

参考例句：

• Humility often gains more than pride.谦逊往往比骄傲收益更多。
• His voice was still soft and filled with specious humility.他的声音还是那么温和，甚至有点谦卑。

4 underneath   

adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面

参考例句：

• Working underneath the car is always a messy job.在汽车底下工作是件脏活。
• She wore a coat with a dress underneath.她穿着一件大衣，里面套着一条连衣裙。

5 dismal   

adj.阴沉的，凄凉的，令人忧郁的，差劲的

参考例句：

• That is a rather dismal melody.那是一支相当忧郁的歌曲。
• My prospects of returning to a suitable job are dismal.我重新找到一个合适的工作岗位的希望很渺茫。

6 caterpillar   

n.毛虫，蝴蝶的幼虫

参考例句：

• A butterfly is produced by metamorphosis from a caterpillar.蝴蝶是由毛虫脱胎变成的。
• A caterpillar must pass through the cocoon stage to become a butterfly.毛毛虫必须经过茧的阶段才能变成蝴蝶。

7 raven   

n.渡鸟，乌鸦；adj.乌亮的

参考例句：

• We know the raven will never leave the man's room.我们知道了乌鸦再也不会离开那个男人的房间。
• Her charming face was framed with raven hair.她迷人的脸上垂落着乌亮的黑发。