The willows carried a slow sound,
柳树带来一种迟缓的声音,
A sarabande the wind mowed on the mead.
风跳着萨拉班德舞,扫过草坪。
I could never remember
我从不记得
That seething, steady leveling of the marshes
沼泽地火热而固执的水位
Till age had brought me to the sea.
直到年岁把我带到海边。
Flags, weeds. And remembrance of steep alcoves
旗帜、杂草。还有关于一面陡峭凹壁
Where cypresses shared the noon’s
的记忆:在那儿柏树分享着月亮的
Tyranny; they drew me into hades almost.
暴政;它们快要把我拖进了地狱。
And mammoth turtles climbing sulphur dreams
猛犸海龟们爬上硫磺梦
Yielded, while sun-silt rippled them
而后塌下来,阳光的裂口把它们
Asunder ...
割成了碎片……
How much I would have bartered! the black gorge
我放弃了怎样一笔交易啊!漆黑的峡谷
And all the singular nestings in the hills
和山中所有奇异的巢穴:
Where beavers learn stitch and tooth.
在那儿海狸学到了缝纫和牙齿。
The pond I entered once and quickly fled—
我曾进去过又迅速逃了出来的池塘——
I remember now its singing willow rim.
现在我记起来那是柳树歌唱着的边缘。
And finally, in that memory all things nurse;
最后,在那个记忆中所有东西都在看护。
After the city that I finally passed
在我最终经过的城市——象流淌的滚烫油膏
With scalding unguents spread and smoking darts
和冒烟的飞镖一样经过——之后
The monsoon cut across the delta
季候风巧妙地绕过三角洲
At gulf gates ... There, beyond the dykes
到达海湾的门口……在那儿,在堤坝以远
I heard wind flaking sapphire, like this summer,
我听见风一片一片剥下蓝宝石,就象这个夏天,
And willows could not hold more steady sound.
柳树不能再保留更多稳定的声音。