一整个上午我都坐在学校医务室里

I sat all morning in the college sick bay

数着下课铃声即将敲响。

Counting bells knelling classes to a close.

两点钟邻居开车来接我回家。

At two o'clock our neighbors drove me home.

在走廊上我看见父亲在哭泣——

In the porch I met my father crying--

平时这些丧事他总能应付自如——

He had always taken funerals in his stride--

大个子吉姆·伊文斯说，这次是个重大打击。

And Big Jim Evans saying it was a hard blow.

婴儿咯咯笑着，摇动婴儿车

The baby cooed and laughed and rocked the pram

当我进来，老人们起来

When I came in, and I was embarrassed

握住我的手，我好不尴尬

By old men standing up to shake my hand

他们说“为我的不幸表示哀悼。”

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

而陌生人嘀咕说，我是家里老大，

Whispers informed strangers I was the eldest,

常年在外教书，当母亲拉着我的手

Away at school, as my mother held my hand

咳嗽连连，还甩出几滴无泪的叹息。

In hers and coughed out angry tearless sighs.

十点钟救护车来了，运来

At ten o'clock the ambulance arrived

护士们止了血包扎好的尸体。

With the corpse, stanched and bandaged by the nurses.

第二天早晨我到房间里去。雪莲花

Next morning I went up into the room. Snowdrops

和蜡烛舒缓着床榻；六周以来

And candles soothed the bedside; I saw him

我头一次看见他。比以前更苍白，

For the first time in six weeks. Paler now,

左太阳穴上有块紫色挫伤，

Wearing a poppy bruise on his left temple,

他躺在四英尺长的箱子里好像他的小床。

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

没有明显的伤痕，保险杠击倒了他。

No gaudy scars, the bumper knocked him clear.

四尺宽的箱子，每年增长一尺。

A four foot box, a foot for every year.