她目光越过他肩膀
She looked over his shoulder
找那葡萄和枝上的橄榄，
For vines and olive trees,
治理有序的大理石的城，
Marble well-governed cities
和不驯的海上的船，
And ships upon untamed seas,
但为那闪亮的金属
But there on the shining metal
他放下的是一种
His hands had put instead
人工制造的荒野
An artificial wilderness
和铅样的天空。
And a sky like lead.
无特征的平原，贫瘠又残破，
A plain without a feature, bare and brown,
不见草叶，也没有社群的踪迹，
No blade of grass, no sign of neighborhood,
无米可炊也无处可坐，
Nothing to eat and nowhere to sit down,
还伫立在虚无里的，是
Yet, congregated on its blankness, stood
难以辨识的众面孔,
An unintelligible multitude,
一百万双眼和一百万对靴成一排，
A million eyes, a million boots in line,
没有表情，等候一声命令到来。
Without expression, waiting for a sign.
从空气里传来了无脸的嗓音
Out of the air a voice without a face
以统计学证明，某事恰如其分
Proved by statistics that some cause was just
那语调平和干瘪与这地方相近：
In tones as dry and level as the place:
没人兴奋也没事讨论;
No one was cheered and nothing was discussed;
他们一队一队地行于沙尘
Column by column in a cloud of dust
并忍受一种信仰的逻辑
They marched away enduring a belief
把他们带进别处的厄运里。
Whose logic brought them, somewhere else, to grief.
她目光越过他肩膀
She looked over his shoulder
找虔诚的祭典，
For ritual pieties,
洁白花圈挂上母牛，
White flower-garlanded heifers,
还有敬酒和祭献，
Libation and sacrifice,
但从那闪亮的金属
But there on the shining metal
未有圣坛浮现，
Where the altar should have been,
从锻炉闪现的烈火，
She saw by his flickering forge-light
她所见的景象截然另般。
Quite another scene.
带刺的铁网封闭了随机的地方，
Barbed wire enclosed an arbitrary spot
无聊的官员在那里逡巡（有人讲笑逗哏）
Where bored officials lounged (one cracked a joke)
大热天哨兵的汗水流淌
And sentries sweated for the day was hot:
一群普通的正派人
A crowd of ordinary decent folk
不动声色，从外部远望
Watched from without and neither moved nor spoke
三具苍白的形体被押出
As three pale figures were led forth and bound
在三挺直插地面的柱上绑住。
To three posts driven upright in the ground.
从这个世界的众生与诸神，到
The mass and majesty of this world, all
全部有分量的——也全都同分量——
That carries weight and always weighs the same
落入了别人的掌心；他们微不足道
Lay in the hands of others; they were small
无法求救亦无得救的希望：
And could not hope for help and no help came:
他们的敌人实现了想要的，他们尊严尽丧
What their foes liked to do was done, their shame
直至彻底绝望；他们的骄傲已失去
Was all the worst could wish; they lost their pride
他们作为人死去然后身体死去。
And died as men before their bodies died.
她目光越过他肩膀
She looked over his shoulder
找健儿驰骋的赛道
For athletes at their games,
男男女女随着音乐
Men and women in a dance
跳起亲昵的舞蹈
Moving their sweet limbs
跟上，他们跟上。
Quick, quick, to music,
但为那闪亮的盾，
But there on the shining shield
他不办这轮舞会
His hands had set no dancing-floor
放任荒田随杂草沉沦。
But a weed-choked field.
褴褛的顽童，漫不经心
A ragged urchin, aimless and alone,
独自游荡在空地；可
Loitered about that vacancy; a bird
鸟在起飞逃离他石子的准心；
Flew up to safety from his well-aimed stone:
女孩被强奸，两个男孩砍另一个，
That girls are raped, that two boys knife a third,
对他是公理，没人听说有任何
Were axioms to him, who'd never heard
世界上，誓言要被
Of any world where promises were kept,
兑现，或有人为另一人流泪而流泪。
Or one could weep because another wept.
薄嘴唇的兵工匠，
The thin-lipped armorer,
赫菲斯托斯，跛着脚
Hephaestos, hobbled away,
走开，满怀慈爱的忒提斯
Thetis of the shining breasts
为工匠之神的锻造
Cried out in dismay
忧心地垂泣，
At what the god had wrought
它将取悦她的儿子
To please her son, the strong
雄壮的阿喀琉斯，心冷如铁，尤善杀戮
Iron-hearted man-slaying Achilles
而他命不久矣。
Who would not live long.