英语美文：栖息之鹰

 Hawk Roosting

栖息之鹰

I sit in the top of the wood, my eyes closed.

Inaction, no falsifying dream

Between my hooked head and hooked feet:

Or in sleep rehearse perfect kills and eat.

我栖息在树端，双眼紧闭。

在我如钩般的头与爪之间的身体：

纹丝不动，无梦无息

或在熟睡中演练完美的猎杀和啄食。

The convenience of the high trees!

The air's buoyancy and the sun's ray

Are of advantage to me;

And the earth's face upward for my inspection¹.

高枝予我以便利！

空气的浮力与太阳的光辉

成就了我的优势；

地球上的一切都在接受我的检阅。

My feet are locked upon the rough bark.

It took the whole of Creation

To produce my foot, my each feather:

Now I hold Creation in my foot

我的双爪紧紧抓住粗糙的树皮。

万物之主造就了我

我的利爪，以至于每一根羽毛：

如今，万物尽在我的掌握之中。

Or fly up, and revolve² it all slowly —

I kill where I please because it is all mine.

There is no sophistry³ in my body:

My manners are tearing off heads —

或者一飞冲天，慢慢盘旋——

兴之所至，手到擒来，因为一切都是我的。

我的躯体里没有别的念头：

我的主旨就是撕开猎物的头颅——

The allotment of death.

For the one path of my flight is direct

Through the bones of the living.

No arguments assert my right:

生死由我掌控。

我飞翔的目的清晰而唯一

直扑猎物，粉身碎骨。

我的权利不容争辩：

The sun is behind me.

Nothing has changed since I began.

My eye has permitted no change.

I am going to keep things like this.

上帝护佑着我。

从一开始，就没有任何改变。

我不允许任何改变。

一切如常，一如既往。

1 inspection   

n.检查，审查，检阅

参考例句：

• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。
• The soldiers lined up for their daily inspection by their officers.士兵们列队接受军官的日常检阅。

2 revolve   

vi.(使)旋转；循环出现

参考例句：

• The planets revolve around the sun.行星绕着太阳运转。
• The wheels began to revolve slowly.车轮开始慢慢转动。

3 sophistry   

n.诡辩

参考例句：

• Sophistry cannot alter history.诡辩改变不了历史。
• No one can be persuaded by sophistry.强词夺理不能折服人。