I sat all morning in the college sick bay

整个上午我坐在学校校医室里，

Counting bells knelling classes to a close.

数着宣告下课的一下下钟声。

At two o'clock our neighbors drove me home.

两点钟，我的邻居用车送我回家。

In the porch I met my father crying--

在门廊里．我遇见父亲在哭泣——

He had always taken funerals in his stride--

平常遇到丧事，他总能从容对付——

And Big Jim Evans saying it was a hard blow.

大个子伊文斯说这是个严重打击。

The baby cooed and laughed and rocked the pram

我进屋时婴儿咕咕叫着，笑着

When I came in, and I was embarrassed

摆动摇篮，我感到窘迫

By old men standing up to shake my hand

当老年人站起来和我握手，

And tell me they were 'sorry for my trouble,'

告诉我他们“为我受苦而难过”，

Whispers informed strangers I was the eldest,

有人低声对陌生人说，我是老大，

Away at school, as my mother held my hand

在学校做事，我母亲握着我的手

In hers and coughed out angry tearless sighs.

边咳嗽边发出无泪的气愤的叹息。

At ten o'clock the ambulance arrived

十点钟，救护车到了，运来

With the corpse, stanched and bandaged by the nurses.

护士们止了血、包扎好了的尸体。

Next morning I went up into the room. Snowdrops

第二天早晨我走进屋去，雪花莲

And candles soothed the bedside; I saw him

和蜡烛使床榻得到慰藉。六周来

For the first time in six weeks. Paler now,

我还是第一次见到他。如今，脸苍白，

Wearing a poppy bruise on his left temple,

他左太阳穴上有紫色的血块，

He lay in the four foot box as in his cot.

他躺在四尺长的木箱里就像躺在儿童床里，

No gaudy scars, the bumper knocked him clear.

并无血淋淋的伤痕，汽车的保险杆利索地把他击

倒了。

A four foot box, a foot for every year.

一只四尺长的木箱，每年一尺长。