雙語賞析《新月集》第25期:職業 Vocation

WHEN the gong sounds ten in the morning and I walk to school by our lane,
Every day I meet the hawker crying, "Bangles, crystal bangles!"
There is nothing to hurry him on, there is no road he must take, no place he must go to, no time when he must come home.
I wish I were a hawker, spending my day in the road, crying, "Bangles, crystal bangles!"
When at four in the afternoon I come back from the school,
I can see through the gate of that house the gardener digging the ground.
He does what he likes with his spade, he soils his clothes with dust, nobody takes him to task if he gets baked in the sun or gets wet.
I wish I were a gardener digging away at the garden with nobody to stop me from digging.
Just as it gets dark in the evening and my mother sends me to bed,
I can see through my open window the watchman walking up and down.
The lane is dark and lonely, and the street-lamp stands like a giant with one red eye in its head.
The watchman swings his lantern and walks with his shadow at his side, and never once goes to bed in his life.
I wish I were a watchman walking the streets all night, chasing the shadows with my lantern.

早晨，鐘敲十下的時候，我沿着我們的小巷到學校去。
每天我都遇見那個小販，他叫道：“鐲子呀，亮晶晶的鐲子！”
他沒有什麼事情急着要做，他沒有哪條街一定要走，他沒有什麼地方一定要去，他沒有什麼時間一定要回家。
我願意我是一個小販，在街上過日子，叫着：“鐲子呀，亮晶晶的鐲子！”
下午四點，我從學校裏回家。
從一家門口，我看得見一個園丁在那裏掘地。
他用他的鋤子，要怎麼掘，便怎麼掘，他被塵土污了衣裳，如果他被太陽曬黑了或是身上被打溼了，都沒有人罵他。
我願意我是一個園丁，在花園裏掘地。誰也不來阻止我。
天色剛黑，媽媽就送我上牀。
從開着的窗口，我看得見更夫走來走去。
小巷又黑又冷清，路燈立在那裏，像一個頭上生着一隻紅眼睛的巨人。
更夫搖着他的提燈，跟他身邊的影子一起走着，他一生一次都沒有上牀去過。
我願意我是一個更夫，整夜在街上走，提了燈去追逐影子。