LESSON 77

SNOW FALLING

雪 落

John James Piatt (b. 1835, d.1917) was born in Dearborn County, Ind., and is of French descent. He began to write verses at the age of fourteen, and has been connected editorially with several papers. Several editions of his poems have been issued from time to time, each edition usually containing some additional poems. Of these volumes we may mention: “Poems in Sunshine and Firelight,” “Western Windows,” “The Lost Farm,” and “Poems of House and Home.”

1. The wonderful snow is falling

Over river and woodland and wold^[1];

The trees bear spectral^[2] blossom

In the moonshine blurr’d and cold.

2. There’s a beautiful garden in Heaven;

And these are the banished^[3] flowers,

Falling and driven and drifted

Into this dark world of ours.

【中文阅读】

约翰 · 詹姆斯 · 皮埃特（1835～1917），出生于美国印第安纳州德保县，具有法国血统。皮埃特14岁时开始写诗，并一直为数家报纸编辑文章。迄今为止，他的诗歌以不同版本出版数次，每逢新版均增补新的诗作，其流行诗集有《阳光与火光下的诗歌》、《西边的窗口》、《失去的农庄》以及《房子和家的诗歌》。

1．纷纷扬扬，鹅毛大雪难以想象，

染白河流，覆盖成片森林原野，

枝杈魅影，开出精灵诡异骨朵，

月光凄冷，透出雪夜朦胧肃杀。

2．遥远天国，有个鲜花盛开村庄，

芬芳四溢，人间放逐花朵怒放，

朔风扑来，白色魂灵从天而降，

轻舞飞扬，融入大地凝重灰暗。

^[1]Wold, a plain or open country, a country without wood whether hilly or not.

^[2]Spectral, ghostly.

^[3]Banished, condemned to exile, driven away.