6 Trees 树
William Bliss Carman 布利斯·卡门
In the Garden of Eden(1), planted by God,
There were goodly trees in the springing sod-
Trees of beauty and height and grace,
To stand in splendor before His face:
在伊甸园里，在滋生万物的草土上，
上帝栽下了美好的树--
优美，高大，仪态万千，
壮丽地耸立在上帝面前：
Apple and hickory, ash and pear,
Oak and beech, and the tulip rare,
The trembling aspen, the noble pine,
The sweeping elm by the river line;
苹果树和山核桃树，白腊树和梨树，
橡树和山毛榉，还有珍贵的鹅掌楸，
摇曳的白杨，崇高的青松，
枝条依依的榆树排列在河堤上，
Trees for the birds to build and sing,
And the lilac tree for a joy in spring;
Trees to turn at the frosty call
And carpet the ground for their Lord's footfall;
供鸟儿在上面筑巢和鸣唱的树，
春天里给人欢乐的丁香树，
严霜降临便变色凋零的树
为造物主的行走铺设地毯，
Trees for fruitage and fire and shade,
Trees for the cunning builder's trade;
Wood for the bow, the spear, and the flail,
The keel and the mast of the daring sail-
He made them of every grain and girth(2)
For the use of man in the Garden of Earth,
Then lest the soul should not lift her eyes
From the gift to the Giver of Paradise,
On the crown of a hill, for all to see,
God planted a scarlet maple tree.(3)
用以结果，生火和遮荫的树，
供能工巧匠建造房屋的树，
可作弯弓、长矛和连枷，
以及大船龙骨和桅杆的树--
上帝把它们造得千姿百态，
为人类世界各尽其材。
他唯恐世人只知坐享天工
却忘了赐予这一切的天堂之主，
于是在山顶上，让人人有目共睹，
上帝栽下了红彤彤的枫树。
英文注释：
(1)the Garden of Eden：伊甸园，《圣经》中人类始祖亚当与夏娃居住的地方。这里喻作乐园，与最后一节中的Garden of Earth相呼应。
(2)of every grain and girth：是动词made的宾语补足语。grain的本义为"纹理"，girth的本义为"(树围的)周长"，这里用来表示各种树的木质和粗细不一，因而适宜于各种用途。
(3)Then lest．．．maple tree：这四行构成一个主从复合句，god为主句的主语，planted a scarlet maple tree是谓语动词及其直接宾语。lest the soul should not lift her eyes from the gift to the Giver Of paradise是带否定意义的目的状语从句，lest含有"以防"和"以免"的意思，这种从句中的谓语动词一般与should连用。 |