「英詩」倫敦之雪（節選）Robert Bridges

               《倫敦之雪》

When men were all asleep the snow came flying

            世人入寢後 白雪紛沓

In large white flakes falling on the city brown

           浩然雪花降臨褐色之城

Stealthily and perpetually settling and loosely lying

        悄然恆久地安身 躺臥適意

Hushing the latest traffic of the drowsy town

          末了交通昏沉欲眠 闃然

Deadening, muffling, stifling its murmurs failing

    於一片令人窒息之死寂中 呢喃聲不再

Lazily and incessantly floating down and down

           慵懶不斷地 飄落 飄落

Silently sifting and veiling road, roof and railing

   悄然灑下 覆蓋路面 屋頂與鐵軌

Hiding difference, making unevenness even

              隱匿分歧 撫平崎嶇

Into angles and crevices softly drifting and sailing

        飄遊無定 滑入一隅與縫隙

All night it fell, and when full inches seven

            雪落了整夜 七吋深時

It lay in the depth of its uncompacted lightness

               全埋入那深幽和緩

The clouds blew off from a high and frosty heaven

               濛濛天頂 雲漸散去

And all woke earlier for the unaccustomed brightness

           一切皆自黎明異常亮光

Of the winter dawning, the strange unheavenly glare

    冬日拂曉 奇異之光非來自天上

The eye marvelled, marvelled at the dazzling whiteness

          眼睛驚嘆 讚頌白之炫目

The ear hearkened to the stillness of the solemn air

        耳際聆聽 肅穆空氣之靜寂

No sound of wheel rumbling nor of foot falling

          無車輪轆轆 腳步雜沓聲

And the busy morning cries came thin and spare

          朝晨熙熙攘攘 縹渺隱約

Then boys I heard, as they went to school, calling

      我聽見 上學途中學童們呼喊

They gathered up the crystal manna to freeze

           他們蒐羅天上晶狀甘露

Their tongues with tasting, their hands with snowballing

          舌尖品嘗 掌中握著雪球

Or rioted in a drift, plunging up to the knees

              凌空進擊 雙膝深陷

Or peering up from under the white-mossed wonder

  或於奇狀白色苔蘚之下 仰頭凝視

"Oh, look at the trees!" they cried, "Oh, look at the trees!"

 「噢，看那樹！」他們尖聲叫道，「噢，看那樹！」

原文詩名：London Snow

詩人：Robert Bridges（1844-1930，英國）

譯者：Irice You