LESSON 111

THE BRIDGE

桥

I stood on the bridge at midnight,

As the clocks were striking the hour,

And the moon rose o’er the city,

Behind the dark church tower.

I saw her bright reflection

In the waters under me,

Like a golden goblet falling

And sinking into the sea.

And far in the hazy distance

Of that lovely night in June,

The blaze of the flaming furnace

Gleamed redder than the moon.

Among the long, black rafters

The wavering shadows lay,

And the current that came from the ocean

Seemed to lift and bear them away;

As, sweeping and eddying through them,

Rose the belated tide,

And, streaming into the moonlight,

The seaweed floated wide.

And like those waters rushing

Among the wooden piers,

A flood of thoughts came o’er me

That filled my eyes with tears

How often, oh, how often,

In the days that had gone by,

I had stood on that bridge at midnight

And gazed on that wave and sky!

How often, oh, how often,

I had wished that the ebbing tide

Would bear me away on its bosom

O’er the ocean wild and wide.

For my heart was hot and restless,

And my life was full of care,

And the burden laid upon me

Seemed greater than I could bear.

But now it has fallen from me,

It is buried in the sea;

And only the sorrow of others

Throws its shadow over me.

Yet, whenever I cross the river

On its bridge with wooden piers,

Like the odor of brine from the ocean

Comes the thought of other years.

And I think how many thousands

Of care-encumbered men,

Each bearing his burden of sorrow,

Have crossed the bridge since then.

I see the long procession

Still passing to and fro,

The young heart hot and restless,

And the old, subdued and slow!

And forever and forever,

As long as the river flows,

As long as the heart has passions,

As long as life has woes;

The moon and its broken reflection

And its shadows shall appear

As the symbol of love in heaven,

And its wavering image here.

(Longfellow)

【中文阅读】

午夜我伫立桥头，

彼时钟声敲响，

明月从黑魆魆的尖塔后面

在城市上空升起。

从脚下的水我瞥见

明月晶莹的倒影，

宛若一只金盏

坠落到海中。

那温馨的六月晓夜，

在朦胧的远方，

炉中火焰袅袅，

月光哪有这般红亮。

一长排浮椽之间，

暗影摇曳，

大海的洪流

仿佛要负载它们飘向远方。

漩涡拍打着浮椽，

涌起阵阵晚潮，

海草蔓延浮游，

流到月光底下。

恰似河水在一根根桥柱之间

波涛汹涌，

心底涌上思潮，

两眼泪水朦胧。

多少次，啊！有多少次，

在逝去的那些时日，

我午夜徘徊桥头，

凝视着碧浪和星空！

多少次，啊！有多少次，

我盼望退潮

能载我去远方，

在敞开大海胸怀上，伴着汹涌的波涛！

我心里纷乱难平静，

生活饱经忧患，

压在我身上的重荷

简直难以承担。

此时重荷已经卸下，

埋入海底；

只有他人的忧伤

向我投来阴影。

每当我在这桥上穿过木板搭建的码头

跨过这道小河，

往昔便涌上心头，

就像海水泛出的咸味。

我暗思有多少

饱经世事的人们，

每人身上都荷着不幸的重负，

踯躅着从桥上走过。

我看见长长的队伍

仍然来来回回，

年轻人，心里纷乱难平静，

年长的人，顺从而蹒跚！

永远复永远，

只要河水还在流淌，

只要内心尚有激情，

只要生活中忧愁还在：

明月和断断续续的忧思，

还有倒影都会显现

爱的象征在天上，

摇曳的影子却留在了这里。

（朗费罗）