About suffering they were never wrong, 

关于苦难他们总是很清楚的，

The Old Masters: how well, they understood 

这些古典画家：他们多么深知它在

Its human position; how it takes place 

人心中的地位，深知痛苦会产生，

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

当别人在吃，在开窗，或正作着无聊的散步的时候；

How, when the aged are reverently, passionately waiting 

深知当老年人热烈地、虔敬地等候

For the miraculous birth, there always must be 

神异的降生时，总会有些孩子

Children who did not specially want it to happen, skating 

并不特别想要他出现，而却在

On a pond at the edge of the wood: 

树林边沿的池塘上溜着冰。

They never forgot 

他们从不忘记：

That even the dreadful martyrdom must run its course 

即使悲惨的殉道也终归会完结

Anyhow in a corner, some untidy spot 

在一个角落，乱糟糟的地方，

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

在那里狗继续过着狗的生涯，而迫害者的马

Scratches its innocent behind on a tree. 

把无知的臀部在树上摩擦。

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

在勃鲁盖尔的《伊卡鲁斯》里，比如说；

Quite leisurely from the disaster; the ploughman may 

一切是多么安闲地从那桩灾难转过脸：

Have heard the splash, the forsaken cry, 

农夫或许听到了堕水的声音和那绝望的呼喊，

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

但对于他，那不是了不得的失败；

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

太阳依旧照着白腿落进绿波里；

Water; and the expensive delicate ship that must have seen 

那华贵而精巧的船必曾看见

Something amazing, a boy falling out of the sky, 

一件怪事，从天上掉下一个男孩，

Had somewhere to get to and sailed calmly on.

但它有某地要去，仍静静地航行。