美国语文第六册 第61期:墓地挽歌(4)
欲赢得伸耳谛听的元老们的掌声，
The threats of pain and ruin to despise,
痛苦和存亡的威胁全然不顾，
To scatter plenty o'er a smiling land,
把富庶洒向风景明媚的大地，
And read their history in a nation's eyes,
从全国上下的眼里读自己的历史，
Their lot forbade: nor, circumscribed alone
他们的命运可不允许：不会划定
Their growing virtues, but their crimes confined;
他们德行增益的界限，但限制了罪恶昭彰
Forbade to wade through slaughter to a throne.
亦不许踩着杀戮晋登宝座，
And shut the gates of mercy on mankind,
对人类关上仁慈的大门，
The struggling pangs of conscious truth to hide,
掩盖良知在内心的发作，
To quench the blushes of ingenuous shame,
扑灭天真的羞愧，亦不红脸，
Or heap the shrine of luxury and pride,
用诗神缪斯的灵焰点燃香火
With incense kindled at the Muse's flame.
填满奢华和虚荣的神龛。
Far from the madding crowd's ignoble strife,
远离了疯狂的俗世钩心斗角，
Their sober wishes never learned to stray;
他们有清醒的愿望绝不学误入歧途，
Along the cool, sequestered vale of life,
沿着生活的清凉僻静的山谷，
They kept the noiseless tenor of their way.
他们坚持走无喧嚣的正路。
Yet even these bones, from insult to protect,
然则让这些尸骨免受到糟蹋，
Some frail memorial still, erected nigh,
竟有脆弱的碑牌在近旁树立，
With uncouth rhymes and shapeless sculpture decked,
上面缀有粗鄙的诗韵、刻得杂乱无章，
Implores the passing tribute of a sigh.
希求过路人鞠一声叹息。
Their name, their years, spelt by the unlettered Muse,
无识的假缪斯胡乱拼写姓名和年代，
The place of fame and elegy supply;
还有名声的出处和一篇挽歌，
And many a holy text around she strews,
她在周围撒满经文，
That teach the rustic moralist to die.
教乡野道德家如何赴死。
