她先发出一篇直率有力的宣言，

After the first powerful plain manifesto

那活塞的黑色文告，然后稳稳地

The black statement of pistons, without more fuss

像皇后一般滑行，离开了车站。

But gliding like a queen, she leaves the station.

她昂然行进，以克制的冷漠态度

Without bowing and with restrained unconcern

通过了卑微的拥聚两边的房舍，

She passes the houses which humbly crowd outside,

路过煤气厂，最后穿过死亡的

The gasworks and at last the heavy page

沉重一页，上面满印着墓地的碑。

Of death, printed by gravestones in the cemetery.

在城郊外是一片开阔的田野，

Beyond the town there lies the open country

逐渐增加速度，也增加了神秘，

Where, gathering speed, she acquires mystery,

有似海上行船那么泰然自若。

The luminous self-possession of ships on ocean.

现在她开始歌唱了，起初低声，

It is now she begins to sing—at first quite low

然后洪亮，终于像爵士乐般疯狂：

Then loud, and at last with a jazzy madness—

那是在转弯时尖声呼啸的歌，

The song of her whistle screaming at curves,

是隆隆的隧洞之歌，闸和铁栓之歌。

Of deafening tunnels, brakes, innumerable bolts.

然而总是轻盈而昂扬地流着

And always light, aerial, underneath

她那轮下的意气风发的节拍。

Goes the elate metre of her wheels.

她冒着蒸汽，穿过金属的风景，沿着

Steaming through metal landscape on her lines

她的轨道冲进了极乐的新纪元。

She plunges new eras of wild happiness

那儿速度扬起了奇异的形状，

Where speed throws up strange shapes, broad curves

大曲线，像炮膛般干净的平行线。

And parallels clean like the steel of guns.

最后，越过爱丁堡或罗马，远远的

At last, further than Edinburgh or Rome,

在世界顶峰以外，她到达了黑夜，

Beyond the crest of the world, she reaches night

在那里，在起伏的山上，低低的

Where only a low streamline brightness

只有流线型的硫磺光是白的。

Of phosphorus on the tossing hills is white.

啊，像彗星穿过火焰，她狂喜奔去，

Ah, like a comet through flame, she moves entranced

那围裹她的音乐啊，没有鸟儿的歌，不，

Wrapt in her music no bird song, no, nor bough

没有任何绽出蜜蕾的树能够相比。

Breaking with honey buds, shall ever equal.