Of Prometheus, how undaunted

充满了启示和感召力量：

On Olympus' shining bastions

神话中讲述，诗歌里吟唱

His audacious foot he planted,

普罗米修斯，果敢刚强，

Myths are told and songs are chanted,

傲然举足，牢牢地踏在

Full of promptings and suggestions.

奥林波斯山辉煌城堡上。

Beautiful is the tradition

美丽动人的是那传说——

Of that flight through heavenly portals,

说他从天廷向人间飞落；

The old classic superstition

是那古老的神话故事——

Of the theft and the transmission

说他大胆盗取和传播

Of the fire of the Immortals!

神祇享用的光明之火。

First the deed of noble daring,

起初是一桩崇高壮举，

Born of heavenward aspiration,

出自一种庄严的信念；

Then the fire with mortals sharing,

然后是天火送到了人间；

Then the vulture,—the despairing

然后是兀鹰，高加索巉岩，

Cry of pain on crags Caucasian.

他痛楚而又绝望的呼喊。

All is but a symbol painted

这一切无非是一种象征，

Of the Poet, Prophet, Seer;

描绘先知、预言者、歌手；

Only those are crowned and sainted

只有这种人不愧为圣哲：

Who with grief have been acquainted,

他们自己把苦难尝够，

Making nations nobler, freer.

使各族人民更高尚、自由。

In their feverish exultations,

他们的成就，他们的求索，

In their triumph and their yearning,

他们激昂炽烈的欢乐，

In their passionate pulsations,

他们对民众说出的话语，

In their words among the nations,

他们亢奋急切的脉搏，

The Promethean fire is burning.

都燃着普罗米修斯之火。

Shall it, then, be unavailing,

为人类开化付出的劳苦，

All this toil for human culture?

难道全都没什么用处？

Through the cloud-rack, dark and trailing,

透过弥天的阴云暗雾，

Must they see above them sailing

他们难道必得要目睹

O'er life's barren crags the vulture?

兀鹰在人生荒山上飞翥？

Such a fate as this was Dante's,

但丁的身世如此凄凉，

By defeat and exile maddened;

挫败和放逐逼得他发狂；

Thus were Milton and Cervantes,

还有造化的教士、祭司——

Nature's priests and Corybantes,

弥尔顿、塞万提斯也同样，

By affliction touched and saddened.

一生饱尝困苦与忧伤。

But the glories so transcendent

却有卓越出众的荣名

That around their memories cluster,

在他们身后流传万古；

And, on all their steps attendant,

凭借内心煌煌的灯烛，

Make their darkened lives resplendent

照亮生平历历的脚步，

With such gleams of inward lustre!

暗淡生涯便光华夺目！

All the melodies mysterious,

在那阴沉昏昧的深宵，

Through the dreary darkness chanted;

神秘的乐曲悠扬缭绕；

Thoughts in attitudes imperious,

气势凌人的汹涌思潮，

Voices soft, and deep, and serious,

柔婉、深沉、肃穆的音调，

Words that whispered, songs that haunted!

细语喃喃，清歌袅袅！

All the soul in rapt suspension,

一个个凝神屏息的灵魂，

All the quivering, palpitating

一根根绷紧的生命之弦，

Chords of life in utmost tension,

不停地悸动，不停地震颤，

With the fervor of invention,

充满了激情，充满了狂欢，

With the rapture of creating!

要去创造，要去兴建！

Ah, Prometheus! heaven-scaling!

普罗米修斯！你举步登天！

In such hours of exultation

在这欢腾昂奋的时间，

Even the faintest heart, unquailing,

最软弱的心灵也振作起来，

Might behold the vulture sailing

望见那兀鹰往复盘旋

Round the cloudy crags Caucasian!

在阴云惨淡的高加索山巅！

Though to all there is not given

尽管并非人人都具有

Strength for such sublime endeavor,

干这种超凡事业的力量：

Thus to scale the walls of heaven,

去攀登天国的万仞高墙，

And to leaven with fiery leaven

以火为酵素，去长久酵动

All the hearts of men forever;

普天下芸芸众生的心房；

Yet all bards, whose hearts unblighted

然而，心志不衰的诗人

Honor and believe the presage,

尊崇和笃信神圣的预言；

Hold aloft their torches lighted,

把手中光明火炬高擎，

Gleaming through the realms benighted,

把脚下黑暗国土照遍，

As they onward bear the message!

他们肩负着使命向前！