悲哀的牧羊人

威廉·巴特·勒葉芝

威廉·巴特勒·葉芝 William Butler Yeats (1865～1939)，亦譯“葉慈”、“耶茨”，愛爾蘭詩人、劇作家，著名的神秘主義者，是“愛爾蘭文藝復興運動”的領袖，也是艾比劇院(Abbey Theatre)的創建者之一，被詩人艾略特譽為"當代最偉大的詩人"。葉芝對戲劇也有濃厚的興趣，先后寫過26部劇本。

There was a man whom Sorrow named his Friend,

And he, of his high comrade Sorrow dreaming,

Went walking with slow steps along the gleaming

And humming Sands, where windy surges wend:

有一個人被“憂傷”當作朋友，

他，渴想著“憂傷”他那高貴的伙伴，

去沿著那微光閃爍、輕聲吟唱的沙灘

慢步行走，那里狂風挾著巨浪怒吼。

And he called loudly to the stars to bend

From their pale thrones and comfort him, but they

Among themselves laugh on and sing alway:

And then the man whom Sorrow named his friend

Cried out, Dim sea, hear my most piteous story.!

他向著群星大聲呼喚，請求它們

從銀色寶座上俯下身來安慰他，

可它們只顧自己不斷地大笑和唱歌。

于是那被“憂愁”當作朋友的人

哭喊：昏暗的海，請聽我可悲的故事!

The sea Swept on and cried her old cry still,

Rolling along in dreams from hill to hill.

He fled the persecution of her glory

And, in a far-off, gentle valley stopping,

Cried all his story to the dewdrops glistening.

大海洶涌，依然喊著她那古老的嘶喊，

帶著睡夢翻滾過一個又一個山巒。

他從她的壯美榮耀的析磨下逃離，

遠遠地到一處溫柔的山谷中停下，

向晶瑩的露珠把他全部的故事哭訴。