Trees
In the Garden of Eden, planted by God,
There were goodly trees in the springing sod,
Trees of beauty and height and grace,
To stand in splendor before his face.
Apple and hickory, ash and pear,
Oak and beech and the tulip rare,
The trembling aspen, the noble pine,
The sweeping elm by the river line;
Trees for the birds to build in and sing.
And the lilac tree for a joy in spring;
Trees to turn at the frosty call
And carpet the ground for their Lord's footfall.
Trees for fruitage and fire and shade,
Trees for the cunning builder's trade,
Wood for the bow, the spear and the flail.
The keel and the mast of the daring sail;
He made them of every grain and girth,
For the use of man in the Garden of Earth,
Then lest the soul should not lift her eyes
From the gift to the Giver of Paradise,
On the crown of a hill for all to see,
God planted a scarlet maple tree.
-- Bliss Carmen
譯文賞析
布里斯·卡曼
在伊甸園里,在滋生萬物的草土上,
上帝栽下了美好的樹——
優(yōu)美,高大,儀態(tài)萬千,
壯麗地聳立在上帝面前.
蘋果樹和山核桃樹,白蠟樹和梨樹,
橡樹和山毛櫸,還有珍貴的鵝掌揪,
搖曳的白楊,崇高的青松,
枝條依依的榆樹排列在河堤上；
供鳥兒在上面筑巢和鳴唱的樹,
春天里給人歡樂的丁香樹；
嚴霜降臨便變色凋零的樹
為造物主的行走鋪設(shè)地毯；
用以結(jié)果、生火和遮蔭的樹,
供能工巧匠建造房屋的樹；
可做彎弓、長矛和連枷,
以及大船龍骨和桅桿的樹——
上帝把他們造得千姿百態(tài),
為人類世界各盡其材.
他唯恐世人只知坐享天工,
卻忘了賜予這一切的天堂之主,
于是在山頂上,讓人人有目共睹,
上帝栽下了紅彤彤的楓樹.