The Darkling Thrush

 

暗处的鸫鸟

 

Thomas Hardy

 

托马斯哈代

 

I leant upon a coppice gate

 

我倚在以树丛做篱的门边，

 

When Frost was spectre-gray,

 

寒霜像幽灵般发灰，

 

And Winter's dregs made desolate

 

冬的沉渣使那白日之眼

 

The weakening eye of day.

 

在苍白中更添憔悴。

 

The tangled bine-stems scored the sky

 

纠缠的藤蔓在天上划线，

 

Like strings of broken lyres,

 

宛如断了的琴弦，

 

And all mankind that haunted nigh

 

而出没附近的一切人类

 

Had sought their household fires.

 

都已退到家中火边。

 

The land's sharp features seemed to be

 

陆地轮廓分明，望去恰似

 

The Century's corpse outleant,

 

斜卧着世纪的尸体，

 

His crypt the cloudy canopy,

 

阴沉的天穹是他的墓室，

 

The wind his death-lament.

 

风在为他哀悼哭泣。

 

The ancient pulse of germ and birth

 

自古以来萌芽生长的冲动

 

Was shrunken hard and dry,

 

已收缩得又干又硬，

 

And every spirit upon earth

 

大地上每个灵魂与我一同

 

Seemed fervourless as I.

 

似乎都已丧失热情。

 

At once a voice arose among

 

突然间，头顶上有个声音

 

The bleak twigs overhead

 

在细枝萧瑟间升起，

 

In a full-hearted evensong

 

一曲黄昏之歌满腔热情

 

Of joy illimited;

 

唱出了无限欣喜，——

 

An aged thrush, frail, gaunt, and small,

 

这是一只鸫鸟，瘦弱、老衰，

 

In blast-beruffled plume,

 

羽毛被阵风吹乱，

 

Had chosen thus to fling his soul

 

却决心把它的心灵敞开，

 

Upon the growing gloom.

 

倾泻向浓浓的黑暗。

 

So little cause for carolings

 

远远近近，任你四处寻找，

 

Of such ecstatic sound

 

在地面的万物上

 

Was written on terrestrial things

 

值得欢唱的原因是那么少，

 

Afar or nigh around,

 

是什么使它欣喜若狂？

 

That I could think there trembled through

 

这使我觉得：它颤音的歌词，

 

His happy good-night air

 

它欢乐曲晚安曲调

 

Some blessed Hope, whereof he knew

 

含有某种幸福希望——为它所知

 

And I was unaware.

 

而不为我所晓。