她目光越过他肩膀
She looked over his shoulder
寻找葡萄和橄榄树，
For vines and olive trees,
管理完善的大理石城市
Marble well-governed cities
和汹涌大海上的船只，
And ships upon untamed seas,
但在那块闪亮的金属上
But there on the shining metal
他双手却刻画下
His hands had put instead
一片人工的荒野
An artificial wilderness
和铅样的天空。
And a sky like lead.
一个无特征的平原，光秃而阴沉，
A plain without a feature, bare and brown,
没有草叶，没有民居的痕迹，
No blade of grass, no sign of neighborhood,
无东西可吃也无地方可坐，
Nothing to eat and nowhere to sit down,
然而，汇集在那单调上，站着
Yet, congregated on its blankness, stood
一大群不可理喻的人，
An unintelligible multitude,
一百万只眼睛，一百万只皮靴，
A million eyes, a million boots in line,
没有表情，等待一个手势。
Without expression, waiting for a sign.
空中传来一个无面孔的声音，
Out of the air a voice without a face
统计数字证明其号召合理，
Proved by statistics that some cause was just
腔调枯燥如同那地方：
In tones as dry and level as the place:
没人欢呼也没人讨论，
No one was cheered and nothing was discussed;
他们一队队在尘土飞扬里
Column by column in a cloud of dust
操着步离去，忍受一个信仰，
They marched away enduring a belief
其逻辑使他们在别处遭厄运。
Whose logic brought them, somewhere else, to grief.
她目光越过他肩膀
She looked over his shoulder
寻找虔敬的仪式，
For ritual pieties,
点缀白花的小母牛，
White flower-garlanded heifers,
祭品和奠酒，
Libation and sacrifice,
但在那块闪亮的金属上
But there on the shining metal
在原该是祭台的地方，
Where the altar should have been,
她借着他闪烁的锻火看到
She saw by his flickering forge-light
另一番景象。
Quite another scene.
倒刺铁丝网围住一个任意的场所，
Barbed wire enclosed an arbitrary spot
无聊的官员在闲逛（一个说了句笑话) ，
Where bored officials lounged (one cracked a joke)
哨兵在流汗因为天气炎热：
And sentries sweated for the day was hot:
一群正派的普通人
A crowd of ordinary decent folk
从外面观看，不动也不语，
Watched from without and neither moved nor spoke
当三个苍白的人影被押向前，捆绑在
As three pale figures were led forth and bound
竖立地面的三根柱上。
To three posts driven upright in the ground.
世界的群众和大多数人，全都
The mass and majesty of this world, all
承受重量且重量永远一样，
That carries weight and always weighs the same
掌握在别人手中；他们渺小
Lay in the hands of others; they were small
不能指望帮助也得不到帮助，
And could not hope for help and no help came:
他们的敌人要做的都做了：他们的羞耻
What their foes liked to do was done, their shame
已无以复加，他们失去尊严，
Was all the worst could wish; they lost their pride
先作为人死去然后身体才死去。
And died as men before their bodies died.
她目光越过他肩膀
She looked over his shoulder
寻找运动会上的健儿，
For athletes at their games,
舞会上的男人和女人
Men and women in a dance
随着音乐快速地
Moving their sweet limbs
移动迷人的腰肢，
Quick, quick, to music,
但在那块闪亮的盾牌上
But there on the shining shield
他双手没有刻划下舞池，
His hands had set no dancing-floor
而是杂草丛生的旷野。
But a weed-choked field.
一个衣衫褴褛的顽童，无目的而孤单，
绕着那空位游荡；一只鸟儿
A ragged urchin, aimless and alone,
飞向安全处，远离他瞄准的石子：
Loitered about that vacancy; a bird
少女被强奸，两个少年砍另一个，
Flew up to safety from his well-aimed stone:
在他看来是公理，他从未听说过
That girls are raped, that two boys knife a third,
有任何信守诺言的世界，
Were axioms to him, who'd never heard
或一个人会因为另一个流泪而流泪。
Of any world where promises were kept,
Or one could weep because another wept.
薄嘴唇的盔甲制作者
赫菲斯托斯蹒跚地走开，
The thin-lipped armorer,
那胸脯闪亮的忒蒂斯
Hephaestos, hobbled away,
大惊失色叫出声来：
Thetis of the shining breasts
这火神打造了什么样的武器
Cried out in dismay
来取悦她的儿子，那强壮
At what the god had wrought
杀人不眨眼的阿喀琉斯──
To please her son, the strong
他不久将阵亡。
Iron-hearted man-slaying Achilles
Who would not live long.