About suffering they were never wrong, 

关于苦难，他们从未看错，

The Old Masters: how well, they understood 

那些古代的大师们深知，它在人心中的地位

Its human position; how it takes place 

当人们吃或打开窗户，或者仅仅

While someone else is eating or opening a window or just walking dully along; 

无聊散步时，会怎样产生。

How, when the aged are reverently, passionately waiting 

当年迈的人正恭敬而虔诚地

For the miraculous birth, there always must be 

等待奇迹降临时，总会有无所顾忌的孩子

Children who did not specially want it to happen, skating 

一心在林边的池塘上溜冰，什么也不期待

On a pond at the edge of the wood: 

他们不会忘记，即使悲惨的殉难

They never forgot 

也会自行了结。

That even the dreadful martyrdom must run its course 

在某个角落里，凌乱的场地，狗继续狗的日子

Anyhow in a corner, some untidy spot 

而那些酷吏的马，将它们无辜的后臀

Where the dogs go on with their doggy life and the torturer’s horse 

朝着树干反复摩擦。

Scratches its innocent behind on a tree. 

在勃鲁盖尔的《伊卡洛斯》里，比方说：一切

In Breughel’s Icarus, for instance: how everything turns away 

如何极其从容地从灾难中转身；

Quite leisurely from the disaster; the ploughman may 

农夫或许听见

Have heard the splash, the forsaken cry, 

水花溅起的声响和绝望的呼喊，

But for him it was not an important failure; the sun shone 

可对他来说，这不过是一次不太重要的失败；

As it had to on the white legs disappearing into the green 

太阳依旧照耀，如同往日，映照着白腿

Water; and the expensive delicate ship that must have seen 

消匿于绿波之中。华美的船必然看见了

Something amazing, a boy falling out of the sky, 

这一幕奇景，一个少年从天空坠落，

Had somewhere to get to and sailed calmly on.

不过它自有目的地要去，继续平静的航行。