他躺在没有割完的稻禾旁，

Beside the ungathered rice he lay,

镰刀还握在手上；

His sickle in his hand;

蓬乱的头发埋入沙土，

His breast was bare, his matted hair

露出黧黑的胸膛。

Was buried in the sand.

他在睡梦的烟雾阴影里

Again, in the mist and shadow of sleep,

又一次看见了故乡。

He saw his Native Land.

穿越他梦中的辽阔大地，

Wide through the landscape of his dreams

尼日尔河水奔流；

The lordly Niger flowed;

他又成了尊严的国王，

Beneath the palm-trees on the plain

在平原棕树下行走；

Once more a king he strode;

又听见商队清脆的驼铃

And heard the tinkling caravans

慢悠悠下了山头。

Descend the mountain road.

又看见他那黑眼珠王后

He saw once more his dark-eyed queen

站在孩子们中间；

Among her children stand;

他们搂住他脖子，抓住手，

They clasped his neck, they kissed his cheeks,

一个劲亲着他的脸！——

They held him by the hand!—

他的睡眼里迸出一滴泪，

A tear burst from the sleeper's lids

滚落到沙土里面。

And fell into the sand.

沿着尼日尔河畔的沙岸，

And then at furious speed he rode

他骑着马儿飞跑；

Along the Niger's bank;

手上的缰绳是黄金链子，

His bridle-reins were golden chains,

每一次纵跳，都听到

And, with a martial clank,

青钢的刀鞘铿锵作响，

At each leap he could feel his scabbard of steel

拍打着马儿身腰。

Smiting his stallion's flank.

像血红的旌旗，一群火烈鸟

Before him, like a blood-red flag,

飞翔在他的前面；

The bright flamingoes flew;

他追随它们，整天奔驰在

From morn till night he followed their flight,

  婆树生长的平原，

O'er plains where the tamarind grew,

直到他望见卡菲人村舍，

Till he saw the roofs of Caffre huts,

大海也闪入眼帘。

And the ocean rose to view.

夜间，他听到狮子吼叫，

At night he heard the lion roar,

也听到鬣狗嘶鸣，

And the hyena scream,

而当他双足踏倒芦苇，

And the river-horse, as he crushed the reeds

走在隐僻的河滨，

Beside some hidden stream;

又听到河马，脚步似擂鼓，

And it passed, like a glorious roll of drums,

闯过他辉煌梦境。

Through the triumph of his dream.

森林转动千万条舌头，

The forests, with their myriad tongues,

高声呼唤着自由；

Shouted of liberty;

嗓门粗厉的荒漠暴风

And the Blast of the Desert cried aloud,

任性地狂呼怒吼；

With a voice so wild and free,

梦中被惊动，他含笑倾听

That he started in his sleep and smiled

这一曲威猛的合奏。

At their tempestuous glee.

再也不晓得监工的鞭挞，

He did not feel the driver's whip,

不觉得烈日的炙烤；

Nor the burning heat of day;

因为死亡照亮了睡乡，

For Death had illumined the Land of Sleep,

他失却生命的躯壳

And his lifeless body lay

像一副残破枷锁，已经

A worn-out fetter, that the soul

被灵魂挣脱甩掉！

Had broken and thrown away!