关于苦难，他们从未看错，

About suffering they were never wrong, 

那些古代的大师们深知，它在人心中的地位

The Old Masters: how well, they understood 

当人们吃或打开窗户，或者仅仅

Its human position; how it takes place 

无聊散步时，会怎样产生。

While someone else is eating or opening a window or just walking dully along; 

当年迈的人正恭敬而虔诚地

How, when the aged are reverently, passionately waiting 

等待奇迹降临时，总会有无所顾忌的孩子

For the miraculous birth, there always must be 

一心在林边的池塘上溜冰，什么也不期待

Children who did not specially want it to happen, skating 

他们不会忘记，即使悲惨的殉难

On a pond at the edge of the wood: 

也会自行了结。

They never forgot 

在某个角落里，凌乱的场地，狗继续狗的日子

That even the dreadful martyrdom must run its course 

而那些酷吏的马，将它们无辜的后臀

Anyhow in a corner, some untidy spot 

朝着树干反复摩擦。

Where the dogs go on with their doggy life and the torturer’s horse 

Scratches its innocent behind on a tree. 

在勃鲁盖尔的《伊卡洛斯》里，比方说：一切

如何极其从容地从灾难中转身；

In Breughel’s Icarus, for instance: how everything turns away 

农夫或许听见

Quite leisurely from the disaster; the ploughman may 

水花溅起的声响和绝望的呼喊，

Have heard the splash, the forsaken cry, 

可对他来说，这不过是一次不太重要的失败；

But for him it was not an important failure; the sun shone 

太阳依旧照耀，如同往日，映照着白腿

As it had to on the white legs disappearing into the green 

消匿于绿波之中。华美的船必然看见了

Water; and the expensive delicate ship that must have seen 

这一幕奇景，一个少年从天空坠落，

Something amazing, a boy falling out of the sky, 

不过它自有目的地要去，继续平静的航行。

Had somewhere to get to and sailed calmly on.