充满了启示和感召力量：

Of Prometheus, how undaunted

神话中讲述，诗歌里吟唱

On Olympus' shining bastions

普罗米修斯，果敢刚强，

His audacious foot he planted,

傲然举足，牢牢地踏在

Myths are told and songs are chanted,

奥林波斯山辉煌城堡上。

Full of promptings and suggestions.

美丽动人的是那传说——

Beautiful is the tradition

说他从天廷向人间飞落；

Of that flight through heavenly portals,

是那古老的神话故事——

The old classic superstition

说他大胆盗取和传播

Of the theft and the transmission

神祇享用的光明之火。

Of the fire of the Immortals!

起初是一桩崇高壮举，

First the deed of noble daring,

出自一种庄严的信念；

Born of heavenward aspiration,

然后是天火送到了人间；

Then the fire with mortals sharing,

然后是兀鹰，高加索巉岩，

Then the vulture,—the despairing

他痛楚而又绝望的呼喊。

Cry of pain on crags Caucasian.

这一切无非是一种象征，

All is but a symbol painted

描绘先知、预言者、歌手；

Of the Poet, Prophet, Seer;

只有这种人不愧为圣哲：

Only those are crowned and sainted

他们自己把苦难尝够，

Who with grief have been acquainted,

使各族人民更高尚、自由。

Making nations nobler, freer.

他们的成就，他们的求索，

In their feverish exultations,

他们激昂炽烈的欢乐，

In their triumph and their yearning,

他们对民众说出的话语，

In their passionate pulsations,

他们亢奋急切的脉搏，

In their words among the nations,

都燃着普罗米修斯之火。

The Promethean fire is burning.

为人类开化付出的劳苦，

Shall it, then, be unavailing,

难道全都没什么用处？

All this toil for human culture?

透过弥天的阴云暗雾，

Through the cloud-rack, dark and trailing,

他们难道必得要目睹

Must they see above them sailing

兀鹰在人生荒山上飞翥？

O'er life's barren crags the vulture?

但丁的身世如此凄凉，

Such a fate as this was Dante's,

挫败和放逐逼得他发狂；

By defeat and exile maddened;

还有造化的教士、祭司——

Thus were Milton and Cervantes,

弥尔顿、塞万提斯也同样，

Nature's priests and Corybantes,

一生饱尝困苦与忧伤。

By affliction touched and saddened.

却有卓越出众的荣名

But the glories so transcendent

在他们身后流传万古；

That around their memories cluster,

凭借内心煌煌的灯烛，

And, on all their steps attendant,

照亮生平历历的脚步，

Make their darkened lives resplendent

暗淡生涯便光华夺目！

With such gleams of inward lustre!

在那阴沉昏昧的深宵，

All the melodies mysterious,

神秘的乐曲悠扬缭绕；

Through the dreary darkness chanted;

气势凌人的汹涌思潮，

Thoughts in attitudes imperious,

柔婉、深沉、肃穆的音调，

Voices soft, and deep, and serious,

细语喃喃，清歌袅袅！

Words that whispered, songs that haunted!

一个个凝神屏息的灵魂，

All the soul in rapt suspension,

一根根绷紧的生命之弦，

All the quivering, palpitating

不停地悸动，不停地震颤，

Chords of life in utmost tension,

充满了激情，充满了狂欢，

With the fervor of invention,

要去创造，要去兴建！

With the rapture of creating!

普罗米修斯！你举步登天！

Ah, Prometheus! heaven-scaling!

在这欢腾昂奋的时间，

In such hours of exultation

最软弱的心灵也振作起来，

Even the faintest heart, unquailing,

望见那兀鹰往复盘旋

Might behold the vulture sailing

在阴云惨淡的高加索山巅！

Round the cloudy crags Caucasian!

尽管并非人人都具有

Though to all there is not given

干这种超凡事业的力量：

Strength for such sublime endeavor,

去攀登天国的万仞高墙，

Thus to scale the walls of heaven,

以火为酵素，去长久酵动

And to leaven with fiery leaven

普天下芸芸众生的心房；

All the hearts of men forever;

然而，心志不衰的诗人

Yet all bards, whose hearts unblighted

尊崇和笃信神圣的预言；

Honor and believe the presage,

把手中光明火炬高擎，

Hold aloft their torches lighted,

把脚下黑暗国土照遍，

Gleaming through the realms benighted,

他们肩负着使命向前！

As they onward bear the message!