那么我们走吧，你我两个人，

Let us go then, you and I,

正当朝天空慢慢铺展着黄昏

When the evening is spread out against the sky

好似病人麻醉在手术桌上；

Like a patient etherized upon a table;

我们走吧，穿过一些半清冷的街，

Let us go, through certain half-deserted streets,

那儿休憩的场所正人声喋喋；

The muttering retreats

有夜夜不宁的下等歇夜旅店

Of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels

和满地蚌壳的铺锯末的饭馆；

And sawdust restaurants with oyster-shells:

街连着街，好象一场讨厌的争议

Streets that follow like a tedious argument

带着阴险的意图

Of insidious intent

要把你引向一个重大的问题……

To lead you to an overwhelming question ...

唉，不要问，"那是什么？"

Oh, do not ask, “What is it?”

让我们快点去作客。

Let us go and make our visit.

在客厅里女士们来回地走，

谈着画家米开朗基罗。

In the room the women come and go

Talking of Michelangelo.

黄色的雾在窗玻璃上擦着它的背，

黄色的烟在窗玻璃上擦着它的嘴，

The yellow fog that rubs its back upon the window-panes,

把它的舌头舐进黄昏的角落，

The yellow smoke that rubs its muzzle on the window-panes,

徘徊在快要干涸的水坑上；

Licked its tongue into the corners of the evening,

让跌下烟囱的烟灰落上它的背，

Lingered upon the pools that stand in drains,

它溜下台阶，忽地纵身跳跃，

Let fall upon its back the soot that falls from chimneys,

看到这是一个温柔的十月的夜，

Slipped by the terrace, made a sudden leap,

于是便在房子附近蜷伏起来安睡。

And seeing that it was a soft October night,

Curled once about the house, and fell asleep.

呵，确实地，总会有时间

看黄色的烟沿着街滑行，

And indeed there will be time

在窗玻璃上擦着它的背；

For the yellow smoke that slides along the street,

总会有时间，总会有时间

Rubbing its back upon the window-panes;

装一副面容去会见你去见的脸；

There will be time, there will be time

总会有时间去暗杀和创新，

To prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet;

总会有时间让举起问题又丢进你盘里的

There will be time to murder and create,

双手完成劳作与度过时日；

And time for all the works and days of hands

有的是时间，无论你，无论我，

That lift and drop a question on your plate;

还有的是时间犹豫一百遍，

Time for you and time for me,

或看到一百种幻景再完全改过，

And time yet for a hundred indecisions,

在吃一片烤面包和饮茶以前。

And for a hundred visions and revisions,

Before the taking of a toast and tea.

在客厅里女士们来回地走，

谈着画家米开朗基罗。

In the room the women come and go

Talking of Michelangelo.

呵，确实地，总还有时间

来疑问，"我可有勇气？""我可有勇气？"

And indeed there will be time

总还有时间来转身走下楼梯，

To wonder, “Do I dare?” and, “Do I dare?”

把一块秃顶暴露给人去注意——

Time to turn back and descend the stair,

（她们会说："他的头发变得多么稀！"）

With a bald spot in the middle of my hair —

我的晨礼服，我的硬领在腭下笔挺，

(They will say: “How his hair is growing thin!”)

我的领带雅致而多彩，用一个简朴的别针固定——

My morning coat, my collar mounting firmly to the chin,

（她们会说："可是他的胳膊腿多么细！"）

My necktie rich and modest, but asserted by a simple pin —

我可有勇气

(They will say: “But how his arms and legs are thin!”)

搅乱这个宇宙？

Do I dare

在一分钟里总还有时间

Disturb the universe?

决定和变卦，过一分钟再变回头。

In a minute there is time

For decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse.

因为我已经熟悉了她们，熟悉了她们所有的人——

熟悉了那些黄昏，和上下午的情景，

For I have known them all already, known them all:

我是用咖啡匙子量走了我的生命；

Have known the evenings, mornings, afternoons,

我熟悉每当隔壁响起了音乐

I have measured out my life with coffee spoons;

话声就逐渐低微而至停歇。

I know the voices dying with a dying fall

所以我怎么敢开口？

Beneath the music from a farther room.

               So how should I presume?

而且我已熟悉那些眼睛，熟悉了她们所有的眼睛——

那些眼睛能用一句成语的公式把你盯住，

And I have known the eyes already, known them all—

当我被公式化了，在别针下趴伏，

The eyes that fix you in a formulated phrase,

那我怎么能开始吐出

And when I am formulated, sprawling on a pin,

我的生活和习惯的全部剩烟头？

When I am pinned and wriggling on the wall,

我又怎么敢开口？

Then how should I begin

而且我已经熟悉了那些胳膊，熟悉了她们所有的胳膊——

To spit out all the butt-ends of my days and ways?

那些胳膊带着镯子，又袒露又白净

               And how should I presume?

（可是在灯光下，显得淡褐色毛茸茸！）

是否由于衣裙的香气

And I have known the arms already, known them all—

使得我这样话离本题？

Arms that are braceleted and white and bare

那些胳膊或围着肩巾，或横在案头。

(But in the lamplight, downed with light brown hair!)

那时候我该开口吗？

Is it perfume from a dress

可是我怎么开始？

That makes me so digress?

Arms that lie along a table, or wrap about a shawl.

是否我说，我在黄昏时走过窄小的街，

               And should I then presume?

看到孤独的男子只穿着衬衫

               And how should I begin?

倚在窗口，烟斗里冒着袅袅的烟？……

Shall I say, I have gone at dusk through narrow streets

那我就会成为一对蟹螯

And watched the smoke that rises from the pipes

急急爬过沉默的海底。

Of lonely men in shirt-sleeves, leaning out of windows? ...

啊，那下午，那黄昏，睡得多平静！

I should have been a pair of ragged claws

被纤长的手指轻轻抚爱，

Scuttling across the floors of silent seas.

睡了……倦慵的……或者它装病，

躺在地板上，就在你我脚边伸开。

And the afternoon, the evening, sleeps so peacefully!

是否我，在用过茶、糕点和冰食以后，

Smoothed by long fingers,

有魄力把这一刻推到紧要的关头？

Asleep ... tired ... or it malingers,

然而，尽管我曾哭泣和斋戒，哭泣和祈祷，

Stretched on the floor, here beside you and me.

尽管我看见我的头（有一点秃了）用盘子端了进来，

Should I, after tea and cakes and ices,

我不是先知——这也不值得大惊小怪；

Have the strength to force the moment to its crisis?

我曾看到我伟大的时刻闪烁，

But though I have wept and fasted, wept and prayed,

我曾看到我的外衣暗笑，

Though I have seen my head (grown slightly bald) brought in upon a platter,

一句话，我有点害怕。

I am no prophet — and here’s no great matter;

I have seen the moment of my greatness flicker,

而且，归根到底，是不是值得

And I have seen the eternal Footman hold my coat, and snicker,

当小吃、果子酱和红茶已用过，

And in short, I was afraid.

在杯盘中间，当人们谈着你和我，

是不是值得以一个微笑

And would it have been worth it, after all,

把这件事情一口啃掉，

After the cups, the marmalade, the tea,

把整个宇宙压缩成一个球，

Among the porcelain, among some talk of you and me,

使它滚向某个重大的问题，

Would it have been worth while,

说道："我是拉撒路，从冥界

To have bitten off the matter with a smile,

来报一个信，我要告诉你们一切。"——

To have squeezed the universe into a ball

万一她把枕垫放在头下一倚，

To roll it towards some overwhelming question,

说道："唉，我意思不是要谈这些；

To say: “I am Lazarus, come from the dead,

不，我不是要谈这些。"

Come back to tell you all, I shall tell you all”—

If one, settling a pillow by her head

那么，归根到底，是不是值得，

               Should say: “That is not what I meant at all;

是否值得在那许多次夕阳以后，

               That is not it, at all.”

在庭院的散步和水淋过街道以后，

在读小说以后，在饮茶以后，在长裙拖过地板以后，——

And would it have been worth it, after all,

说这些，和许多许多事情？——

Would it have been worth while,

要说出我想说的话绝不可能！

After the sunsets and the dooryards and the sprinkled streets,

仿佛有幻灯把神经的图样投到幕上：

After the novels, after the teacups, after the skirts that trail along the floor—

是否还值得如此难为情，

And this, and so much more?—

假如她放一个枕垫或掷下披肩，

It is impossible to say just what I mean!

把脸转向窗户，甩出一句：

But as if a magic lantern threw the nerves in patterns on a screen:

那可不是我的本意，

Would it have been worth while

那可绝不是我的本意。

If one, settling a pillow or throwing off a shawl,

And turning toward the window, should say:

不！我并非哈姆雷特王子，当也当不成；

               “That is not it at all,

我只是个侍从爵士，为王家出行，

               That is not what I meant, at all.”

铺排显赫的场面，或为王子出主意，

就够好的了；无非是顺手的工具，

No! I am not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be;

服服帖帖，巴不得有点用途，

Am an attendant lord, one that will do

细致，周详，处处小心翼翼；

To swell a progress, start a scene or two,

满口高谈阔论，但有点愚鲁；

Advise the prince; no doubt, an easy tool,

有时候，老实说，显得近乎可笑，

Deferential, glad to be of use,

有时候，几乎是个丑角。

Politic, cautious, and meticulous;

Full of high sentence, but a bit obtuse;

呵，我变老了……我变老了……

At times, indeed, almost ridiculous—

我将要卷起我的长裤的裤脚。

Almost, at times, the Fool.

我将把头发往后分吗？我可敢吃桃子？

I grow old ... I grow old ...

我将穿上白法兰绒裤在海滩上散步。

I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled.

我听见了女水妖彼此对唱着歌。

Shall I part my hair behind?   Do I dare to eat a peach?

我不认为她们会为我而唱歌。

I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach.

I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each.

我看过她们凌驾波浪驶向大海，

梳着打回来的波浪的白发，

I do not think that they will sing to me.

当狂风把海水吹得又黑又白。

I have seen them riding seaward on the waves

我们留连于大海的宫室，

Combing the white hair of the waves blown back

被海妖以红的和棕的海草装饰，

When the wind blows the water white and black.

一旦被人声唤醒，我们就淹死。

We have lingered in the chambers of the sea

By sea-girls wreathed with seaweed red and brown

Till human voices wake us, and we drown.