柳树送拂和缓之声，

The willows carried a slow sound,

风的萨拉班德舞曲刈割草地。

A sarabande the wind mowed on the mead.

我从未能忆起

I could never remember

那些夷平沼地的沸腾、持续劳作

That seething, steady leveling of the marshes

直到岁月将我带至大海。

Till age had brought me to the sea.

旗帜，杂草。还有对陡峭凹壁的记忆

Flags, weeds. And remembrance of steep alcoves

那里丝柏分享正午的

Where cypresses shared the noon’s

暴虐；它们几乎把我拖进地府。

Tyranny; they drew me into hades almost.

而攀爬在硫磺梦中的巨大海龟们

And mammoth turtles climbing sulphur dreams

已屈服，当太阳淤泥涟漪泛起

Yielded, while sun-silt rippled them

星裂开它们……

Asunder ...

有多少我本当交换！漆黑的峡谷

How much I would have bartered! the black gorge

和山中所有的奇异窠巢

And all the singular nestings in the hills

那里海狸学会缝缀和啃噬。

Where beavers learn stitch and tooth.

我曾进入又迅速逃离的池塘——

The pond I entered once and quickly fled—

现在我谙记它垂柳歌唱的塘沿。

I remember now its singing willow rim.

而最后，在那记忆中一切都在看护；

And finally, in that memory all things nurse;

在我最终灼热膏油般流淌，射放烟雾

After the city that I finally passed

经过的城市身后

With scalding unguents spread and smoking darts

季风贯切三角洲

The monsoon cut across the delta

抵达海湾的大门……那儿，堤坝之上

At gulf gates ... There, beyond the dykes

我听见风削凿蔚蓝，像这个夏天，

I heard wind flaking sapphire, like this summer,

众柳不再能支承更多的平稳之声。

And willows could not hold more steady sound.