We Are Seven

  by William Wordsworth

--A simple child,
That lightly draws its breath,
And feels its life in every limb,
What should it know of death?

I met a little cottage Girl:
She was eight years old, she said;
Her hair was thick with many a curl
That clustered round her head.

She had a rustic, woodland air,
And she was wildly clad:
Her eyes were fair, and very fair;
--Her beauty made me glad.

"Sisters and brothers, little Maid,
How many may you be?"
"How many? Seven in all," she said
And wondering looked at me.

"And where are they? I pray you tell."
She answered, "Seven are we;
And two of us at Conway dwell,
And two are gone to sea.

"Two of us in the church-yard lie,
My sister and my brother;
And, in the church-yard cottage, I
Dwell near them with my mother."

"You say that two at Conway dwell,
And two are gone to sea,
Yet ye are seven!--I pray you tell,
Sweet Maid, how this may be."

Then did the little Maid reply,
"Seven boys and girls are we;
Two of us in the church-yard lie,
Beneath the church-yard tree."

"You run about, my little Maid,
Your limbs they are alive;
If two are in the church-yard laid,
Then ye are only five."

"Their graves are green, they may be seen,"
The little Maid replied,
"Twelve steps or more from my mother's door,
And they are side by side.

"My stockings there I often knit,
My kerchief there I hem;
And there upon the ground I sit,
And sing a song to them.

"And often after sunset, Sir,
When it is light and fair,
I take my little porringer,
And eat my supper there.

"The first that died was sister Jane;
In bed she moaning lay,
Till God released her of her pain;
And then she went away.

"So in the church-yard she was laid;
And, when the grass was dry,
Together round her grave we played,
My brother John and I.

"And when the ground was white with snow,
And I could run and slide,
My brother John was forced to go,
And he lies by her side."

"How many are you, then," said I,
"If they two are in heaven?"
Quick was the little Maid's reply,
"O Master! we are seven."

"But they are dead; those two are dead!
Their spirits are in heaven!"
'Twas throwing words away; for still
The little Maid would have her will,
And said, "Nay, we are seven!"

我們是七個

    黃杲炘 譯

這是一個單純的小孩子，
她正在輕松地呼吸：
她感到周身充滿了活力，
怎知道什么叫做死？

我碰見個住小屋的女娃：
她說她已經有八歲；
她長著又密又鬈的頭發，
一綹綹在頭的周圍。

她帶著鄉野和山林氣息，
身上穿得七零八落，
她那雙眼睛可真是美麗，
她的美真叫我快活。

于是我向她發問：“小姑娘，
你有幾個姐妹兄弟？”
“幾個？一共有七個。”邊講
邊看著我，顯得驚奇。

“請告訴我，他們在哪里？”
“我們共七個”，她說。
“我們中的兩個住在康韋，
兩個在海船上干活。

“還有兩個躺在教堂的墓園，
那是我姐姐和弟弟；
我同媽媽住得離那不遠，
就在墓地的小屋里。”

“你說有兩個是住在康韋，
兩個在海船上干活，
可你們是七個！告訴我，
好姑娘，這話怎說？”

“我們有七個姐妹和兄弟，”
小姑娘這樣地回答，
“兩個躺在教堂墓地里，
躺在那墓地的樹下。”

“你能跑來跑去，小姑娘，
活力充滿了你的周身；
要是有兩上躺在墓地上，
那你們只剩下五人。”

小姑娘說道：“這里看得見
他們倆青青的墓地——
離家門口只有十幾步遠，
兩個墓并排在一起。

“我常在那兒給手帕繰邊，
在那兒織我的襪子；
我老是去那兒坐在地上，
為他們唱一支曲子。

“天好時，在太陽下山以后，
我常趁明亮的好天，
拿著我小小的帶柄碗兒，
去那兒吃我的晚飯。

“第一個死的是姐妹簡恩，
她在床上不住呻吟；
后來上帝讓她不再苦痛，
于是她離開了我們。

“就這樣，她給埋在墓地里；
只要地上的草還干，
我就常帶著我約翰弟弟，
在她墓的四周游玩。

到地上鋪滿白雪的時候，
我可以去跑又去滑，
弟弟約翰卻硬是給帶走——
去我姐姐身旁躺下。”

我說：“他們兩個進了天國，
那你說你們是幾個？”
小姑娘的回答來得利落：
“先生，我們是七個。”

“可他們兩個都已經死去！
靈魂兒已進了天國！”
這些話全都是白說，因為，
這位小姑娘還是不改嘴；
“不，我們是七個，”她說。

威廉?華茲華斯簡介

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