雙語賞析《新月集》第23期: 商人 The Merchant

IMAGINE, Mother, that you are to stay at home and I am to travel into strange lands.
Imagine that my boat is ready at the landing fully laden.
Now think well, mother, before you say what I shall bring for you when I come back.
Mother, do you want heaps and heaps of gold?
There, by the banks of golden streams, fields are full of golden harvest.
And in the shade of the forest path the golden champa flowers drop on the ground.
I will gather them all for you in many hundred baskets.
Mother, do you want pearls big as the raindrops of autumn?
I shall cross to the pearl island shore. There in the early morning light pearls tremble on the meadow flowers, pearls drop on the grass, and pearls are scattered on the sand in spray by the wild sea-waves.
My brother shall have a pair of horses with wings to fly among the clouds.
For father I shall bring a magic pen that, without his knowing, will write of itself.
For you, mother, I must have the casket and jewel that cost seven kings their kingdoms.

媽媽，讓我們想象，你待在家裏，我到異邦去旅行。
再想象，我的船已經裝得滿滿地在碼頭上等候啓碇了。
現在，媽媽，好生想一想再告訴我，回來的時候我要帶些什麼給你。
媽媽，你要一堆一堆的黃金麼？
在金河的兩岸，田野裏全是金色的稻實。
在林蔭的路上，金色花也一朵一朵地落在地上。
我要爲你把它們全都收拾起來，放在好幾百個籃子裏。
媽媽，你要秋天的雨點一般大的珍珠麼？
我要渡海到珍珠島的岸上去。那個地方，在清晨的曙光裏，珠子在草地的野花上顫動，珠子落在綠草上，珠子被洶狂的海浪一大把一大把地撒在沙灘上。
我的哥哥呢，我要送他一對有翼的馬，會在雲端飛翔的。
爸爸呢，我要帶一支有魔力的筆給他，他還沒有覺得，筆就寫出字來了。
你呢，媽媽，我一定要把那個值七個王國的首飾箱和珠寶送給你。