雙語賞析《新月集》第12期: 玩具 Playthings

CHILD, how happy you are sitting in the dust, playing with a broken twig all the morning.
I smile at your play with that little bit of a broken twig.
I am busy with my accounts, adding up figures by the hour.
Perhaps you glance at me and think, "What a stupid game to spoil your morning with!"
Child, I have forgotten the art of being absorbed in sticks and mud-pies.
I seek out costly playthings, and gather lumps of gold and silver.
With whatever you find you create your glad games, I spend both my time and my strength over things I never can obtain.
In my frail canoe I struggle to cross the sea of desire, and forget that I too am playing a game.

孩子，你真是快活呀，一早晨坐在泥土裏，耍着折下來的小樹枝兒。
我微笑地看你在那裏耍着那根折下來的小樹枝兒。
我正忙着算帳，一小時一小時在那裏加疊數字。
也許你在看我，想道：這種好沒趣的遊戲，竟把你的一早晨的好時間浪費掉了！
孩子，我忘了聚精會神玩耍樹枝與泥餅的方法了。
我尋求貴重的玩具，收集金塊與銀塊。
你呢，無論找到什麼便去做你的快樂的遊戲，我呢，卻把我的時間與力氣都浪費在那些我永不能得到的東西上。
我在我的脆薄的獨木船裏掙扎着要航過慾望之海，意忘了我也是在那裏做遊戲了。