关于苦难他们总是很清楚的，

About suffering they were never wrong, 

这些古典画家：他们多么深知它在

The Old Masters: how well, they understood 

人心中的地位，深知痛苦会产生，

Its human position; how it takes place 

当别人在吃，在开窗，或正作着无聊的散步的时候；

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

深知当老年人热烈地、虔敬地等候

How, when the aged are reverently, passionately waiting 

神异的降生时，总会有些孩子

For the miraculous birth, there always must be 

并不特别想要他出现，而却在

Children who did not specially want it to happen, skating 

树林边沿的池塘上溜着冰。

On a pond at the edge of the wood: 

他们从不忘记：

They never forgot 

即使悲惨的殉道也终归会完结

That even the dreadful martyrdom must run its course 

在一个角落，乱糟糟的地方，

Anyhow in a corner, some untidy spot 

在那里狗继续过着狗的生涯，而迫害者的马

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

把无知的臀部在树上摩擦。

Scratches its innocent behind on a tree. 

在勃鲁盖尔的《伊卡鲁斯》里，比如说；

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

一切是多么安闲地从那桩灾难转过脸：

Quite leisurely from the disaster; the ploughman may 

农夫或许听到了堕水的声音和那绝望的呼喊，

Have heard the splash, the forsaken cry, 

但对于他，那不是了不得的失败；

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

太阳依旧照着白腿落进绿波里；

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

那华贵而精巧的船必曾看见

Water; and the expensive delicate ship that must have seen 

一件怪事，从天上掉下一个男孩，

Something amazing, a boy falling out of the sky, 

但它有某地要去，仍静静地航行。

Had somewhere to get to and sailed calmly on.