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As I Walked Out One Evening

W. H. Auden

As I walked out one evening.

Walking down Bristol Street, the crowds upon the pavement were fields of harvest wheat.

And down by the brimming river I heard a lover sing under an arch of the railway:

"Love has no ending. I'll love you, dear, I'll love you Till China and Africa meet, and the river jumps over the mountain, and the salmon sing in the street.

I'll love you till the ocean is folded and hung up to dry, and the seven stars go squawking like geese about the sky.

The years shall run like rabbits, for in my arms I hold the flower of the ages, and the first love of the world."

But all the clocks in the city began to whirr and chime: "O let not Time deceive you, you cannot conquer time."

In the burrows of the nightmare where justice naked is, time watches from the shadow and coughs when you would kiss.

In headaches and in worry vaguely life leaks away, and time will have his fancy tomorrow or today.

Into many a green valley drifts the appalling snow;

Time breaks the threaded dances and the diver's brilliant bow.

"O plunge your hands in water; Plunge them in up to the wrist;

Stare, stare in the basin and wonder what you've missed."

The glacier knocks in the cupboard, The desert sighs in the bed.

And the crack in the tea-cup opens a lane to the land of the dead.

Where the beggars raffle the banknotes and the giant is enchanting to Jack.

And the Lily-white boy is a roarer, and Jill goes down on her back.

"O look, look in the mirror, O look in your distress;

Life remains a blessing although you cannot bless.

O stand, stand at the window as the tears scald and start;

You shall love your crooked neighbour with your crooked heart."

It was late, late in the evening. The lovers they were gone;

The clocks had ceased their chiming, and the deep river ran on.

《当我在某个夜晚漫步》

W. H. 奥登

当我在某个夜晚漫步。

行走在布里斯托尔大街上，道路上满是人群，就像小麦正待收割的田野。

紧挨着那条水波四溢的河流，在那铁路桥的桥拱下，我听见一个情人在那儿歌唱：

“爱情永无止境。我将爱你，亲爱的，我会永远爱你，直到中国和非洲会合，直到河水从山脉上越过，那鱼儿也能跑到大街上歌唱。

我会爱你，直到大海折叠，挂起来晒干，直到七星改变了形状，仿佛天空中一只天鹅在鸣叫。

时光犹如野兔般向前飞奔，但我的手臂间还抱着古老的鲜花——还有对这世界最初的爱。”

但是城市里所有的时钟开始发出阵阵轰鸣：“啊，不要让时间把你欺骗，你不可能战胜时间。

在恶梦的洞穴深处有的是赤裸裸的公理，那时间在阴影中观察，在你想要亲吻时咳嗽提示。

在头疼和焦虑中，生命不知不觉中逝去，时间的幻想终会实现，不在今朝就在明日。

曾经绿荫葱茏的山谷，弥漫着骇人的大雪；

时间打断如织的舞步，还有跳水人的华丽躬身。

“啊，把你的双手伸进水里，让水流漫过你的手腕；

凝视，凝视盆中，想想你究竟错过了什么。

冰河撞击着你的碗橱，沙漠在你的床铺上叹息，

茶杯上的裂缝变大了，打开了一条通往死域的路。

在那儿乞丐中彩得了钞票，杰克被那巨奖迷惑得神魂颠倒，

那纯真无邪的男孩在咆哮，吉尔躺倒在地上。

哦，快看，快看那面镜子，看看镜中你的忧愁；

尽管你无法祈福，生活还是上天的赐福。

哦，站起来，快站到窗前，你滚烫的热泪开始流滴；

你应该用你那颗扭曲的心，去爱那些狡诈的邻居。”

已经是很深很深的夜晚。那些情人们早已离去，

时钟停止了奏鸣，只留下深深的水流继续流淌。