頌詩譯選

建造者The Builders

凌風 譯

所有人都是命運的建造者群，
　　在為時間的牆工作；
　　有的用豐功偉蹟，
　　也有的用詩韻雕琢。

沒有甚麼是無用或低下；
　　各成最美好在其安排之處；
　　甚麼看來是閒筆無需
　　卻是加強並支持其餘。

我們建造的這座建築，
　　時間用材料充填；
　　我們用來建造的石頭，
　　是我們的今天和昨天。

依真正的形像和樣式興建；
　　不能留下缺口在中間；
　　莫想沒有人能夠看見，
　　這些事將保持不被發現。

在古老時代的藝術，
　　建築者以最大的謹慎
　　用心在細微看不見的地方；
　　因為神看到每一隱藏。

我們也要這樣的工作，
　　不論隱藏和明顯；
　　作成神所要居住的殿，
　　美麗，清潔，完全。

否則在這些時間的牆中，
　　我們的生活就有殘缺，
　　破壞的樓梯，當人要登上
　　就要絆跌失腳。

今天就如此建造，堅定不移，
　　立在堅固深廣的根基，
　　往上建造並且安全
　　明天會見它矗立在那裏。

惟有如此才能夠實現
　　那些樓閣一般，抬望眼
　　俯視這世界如廣大平原，
　　無邊無垠直達到青天。

The Builders

All are architects of Fate,
Working in these walls of Time;
Some with massive deeds and great,
Some with ornaments of rhyme.

Nothing useless is, or low;
Each thing in its place is best;
And what seems but idle show
Strengthens and supports the rest.

For the structure that we raise,
Time is with materials filled;
Our to-days and yesterdays
Are the blocks with which we build.

Truly shape and fashion these;
Leave no yawning gaps between;
Think not, because no man sees,
Such things will remain unseen.

In the elder days of Art,
Builders wrought with greatest care
Each minute and unseen part;
For the God sees everywhere.

Let us do our work as well,
Both the unseen and the seen;
Make the house, where God may dwell,
Beautiful, entire, and clean.

Else our lives are incomplete,
Standing in these walls of Time,
Broken stairways, where the feet
Stumble as they seek to climb.

Build to-day, then, strong and sure,
With a firm and ample base;
And ascending and secure
Shall to-morrow find its place.

Thus alone can we attain
To those turrets, where the eye
Sees the world as one vast plain,
And one boundless reach of sky.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow（1807-1882）