向逆境中的友人坦承

自從我遠離后，我對你的逆境

感受減弱了，盡管逆境并未改善；

我甚至露出了舊日的笑容，漠然，

但畢竟是微笑，不是咧嘴的嘲弄。

一個念頭太出格，我腦中難容，

但我察覺，它在周遭縈繞不散：

我不想再熱衷打聽你的辛酸，

免得與你分憂，而重新惹我悲痛……

這念頭多么像不祥之鳥或海盜——

逍遙法外的身影在海上漂游，

忠誠的心啊，一心想徹底趕開

這一盤踞此地的不體面的念頭；

可是，老友啊，有這種下意識存在，

即使驅(qū)走了，我心中何等難受！

1866年

Neutral Tones

We stood by a pond that winter day,

And the sun was white, as though chidden by God,

And a few leaves lay on the starving sod;

— They had fallen from an ash, and were gray.

Your eyes on me were as eyes that rove

Over tedious riddles of years ago;

And some words played between us to and fro

On which lost the more by our love.

The smile on your mouth was the deadest thing

Alive enough to have strength to die;

And a grin of bitterness swept thereby

Like an ominous bird a-wing…

Since then, keen lessons that love deceives,

And wrings with wrong, have shaped to me

Your face, and the God-curst sun, and a tree,

And a pond edged with grayish leaves.

1867