LESSON 42

THE PRESENT

今 朝

Adelaide Anne Procter, 1825-1864, was the daughter of Bryan Waller Procter, known in literature as “Barry Cornwall.” She is the author of several volumes of poetry, and was a contributor to “Good Words,” “All the Year Round,” and other London periodicals. Her works have been republished in America.

Do not crouch to-day, and worship

The dead Past, whose life is fled

Hush your voice in tender reverence;

Crowned he lies, but cold and dead:

For the Present reigns, our monarch,

With an added weight of hours;

Honor her, for she is mighty!

Honor her, for she is ours!

See the shadows of his heroes

Girt around her cloudy throne;

Every day the ranks are strengthened

By great hearts to him unknown;

Noble things the great Past promised,

Holy dreams, both strange and new;

But the Present shall fulfill them;

What he promised, she shall do.

She inherits all his treasures,

She is heir to all his fame,

And the light that lightens round her

Is the luster of his name;

She is wise with all his wisdom,

Living on his grave she stands,

On her brow she bears his laurels,

And his harvest in her hands.

Coward, can she reign and conquer

If we thus her glory dim?

Let us fight for her as nobly

As our fathers fought for him.

God, who crowns the dying ages,

Bids her rule, and us obey,—

Bids us cast our lives before her,

Bids us serve the great To-day.

【中文阅读】

不要今朝屈膝，祭拜

逝去的先王，他的生命

在你表示敬意的温柔声音中遁去了；

对于今朝的统治者，我们的君主，

岁月的脚步更加沉重；

向她致敬，她是万能的！

向她致敬，因为他是我们的君主！

瞧，那些英雄们的身影

环绕着她有些模糊的宝座；

每天行列都为

他不晓得的那些忠心的人加强了；

这位伟大的先王许诺过的高尚的事情，

神圣的梦，奇怪又新鲜；

但是，今朝的事情有待他们完成；

他许诺的，她来做。

她继承了他的所有财富，

她也是他威望的继承人，

围在她周围的光环，

就是他名字的光辉；

拥有他所有的智慧，她因而明智，

她以他的遗产为生，

她的眉宇间有他的殊荣，

他耕种来，她收成。

胆小鬼，如果我们因此认为他的光辉已经暗淡

她怎么可能统治和征服？

让我们为她勇敢地战斗，

就像我们的父辈为他战死沙场那样。

上帝啊，谁能在有生之年登上王位，

只要她来统治，我们就遵从，

为了她能献出生命的我们，

一切要为伟大的今朝服务。