A book waits for you in the shadows;

一本书在暗处静候着你；

she has set it on your desk today,

她今天把它放在你的书桌上，

an inch or two from the lamp,

离灯光有一两英寸远，

beside the fresh long‑life flower drowsing in its vase,

在昏睡于花瓶中的鲜嫩的长寿花旁，

not far from pencil, knife and paper‑clip.

离铅笔、小刀和回形针不远。

Other books turn their faces away;

其它的书转脸望向别处；

though far from home,

虽然离家很远，

before you think of the light toys scattered on the floor,

在你想到散落在地板上的轻巧的玩具之前，

before she thinks of the boiling milk

在她想到煮沸的牛奶

or the thunderclouds blowing in from Bode.

或从博德镇吹来的雷云之前。

This afternoon they came,

今天下午它们来了，

now the sky has fallen, pressing heavy on your house.

现在天空倒塌了，重重地压在你的房屋上。

Months ago, in Vastra or Sell,

几个月之前，在瓦斯特拉或塞尔，

the book drew breath and set out towards you.

这本书吸了口气，接着动身向你行来。

It carries the scent of two great oceans,

身上带着两个大洋的气味，

then becomes a choir singing the new world in simple verses.

尔后变成了用简朴的歌词歌颂新世界的唱诗班。

Now it is here; as day relaxes into night,

现在它到了；当白天松弛下来步入黑夜，

it sits upright on your desk,

它端坐在你的书桌上，

and when you hold it in your hands,

当你将它捧在手中时，

it dreams the long journey home has begun.

它便梦见回家的漫长之旅已经开始了。

Your wife sits down to turn over a magazine;

你的妻子坐下来翻阅一本杂志；

your daughters call for bed, and a timid old cat,

你的女儿们呼唤着“睡觉”，还有一只胆小的老猫，

they are afraid of the dark all through the house;

她们害怕房子四处的黑暗；

your true journey is about to start, one hour more,

你真正的旅行正待开始，还有一个小时，

and all your luggage is already in the hall.

而你所有的行李已全在大厅中。