The Chimney Sweeper—William Blake

 

扫烟囱的小男孩——威廉·布莱克

 

When my mother died I was very young,

 

And my father sold me while yet my tongue

 

Could scarcely cry 'Weep! weep! weep! weep!'

 

So your chimneys I sweep, and in soot I sleep.

 

我母亲死的时候，我还小，

 

我父亲把我卖给了别人，

 

我当时还不大喊得清“扫呀，扫呀，”

 

就这样白天扫你们的烟囱，晚上在烟灰里睡觉。

 

There's little Tom Dacre, who cried when his head,

That curled like a lamb's back, was shaved; so I said,

 

'Hush, Tom! never mind it, for, when your head's bare,

 

You know that the soot cannot spoil your white hair.'

 

有个小汤姆，头发卷得像羊毛，

 

剃光的时候，哭得好伤心，好难受，

 

我就说：“小汤姆，别哭，光了头，

 

烟灰就不会糟蹋你的头发了。”

 

And so he was quiet, and that very night,

As Tom was a-sleeping, he had such a sight!

 

That thousands of sweepers, Dick, Joe, Ned, and Jack,

 

Were all of them locked up in coffins of black.

 

他平静了下来，当天夜里，

 

汤姆睡着了，梦见了这样的情景，

 

迪克、乔、南德，杰克等千千万万个扫烟囱小孩

 

统统被锁进了黑棺材。

 

And by came an angel, who had a bright key,

And he opened the coffins, and set them all free;

 

Then down a green plain, leaping, laughing, they run

 

And wash in a river, and shine in the sun.

 

后来来了个天使，拿了把金钥匙，

 

他打开棺材放出了孩子们（真是好天使！）

 

他们又跳又笑地来到了草地上，

 

洗浴于河水，晾晒于阳光。

 

Then naked and white, all their bags left behind,

They rise upon clouds, and sport in the wind,

 

And the angel told Tom, if he'd be a good boy,

 

He'd have God for his father, and never want joy.

 

把工具袋丢下，赤条条的，白白的，

 

他们升到云端，在风中嬉戏；

 

“只要你做个好孩子，”天使对汤姆说，

 

“上帝会做你的父亲，永不缺少欢喜。”

 

And so Tom awoke, and we rose in the dark,

And got with our bags and our brushes to work.

 

Though the morning was cold, Tom was happy and warm;

 

So, if all do their duty, they need not fear harm.

 

汤姆于是梦醒，我们在黑暗中起床，

 

拿起工具袋和刷子去干活。

 

晨风虽冷，汤姆自感心欢温暖；

 

如果所有人都恪尽职守，就不怕灾难。