It little profits that an idle king,

　　有什么好，当个闲散的王，

By this still hearth, among these barren crags,

对着这清冷的炉火，荒瘠的岩峦，

Match'd with an aged wife, I mete and dole

守着个年迈的老婆，我罚呀赏呀，

Unequal laws unto a savage race,

施律布政于这吃吃睡睡藏藏、

That hoard, and sleep, and feed, and know not me.

从不认识我的一帮蛮族。

I cannot rest from travel: I will drink

　　我不能安于家居，我要喝干

Life to the lees: All times I have enjoy'd

那生命的酒缸。我曾尽情享乐，

Greatly, have suffer'd greatly, both with those

也曾百般受苦——既和爱我者分担，

That loved me, and alone, on shore, and when

也曾独自承当；在岸上，在海中，

Thro' scudding drifts the rainy Hyades

当横越风暴，那风辰雨宿激怒了

Vext the dim sea: I am become a name;

阴沉沉的大洋。而今我仅存虚名；

For always roaming with a hungry heart

我曾满怀饥渴，浪迹天涯，

Much have I seen and known; cities of men

多少见识——有芸芸众生，风情万端，

And manners, climates, councils, governments,

乡俗政制，天时物候，议院城邦，

Myself not least, but honour'd of them all;

我本非末流，行处亦礼遇有加——

And drunk delight of battle with my peers,

也曾偕同袍痛饮战斗之欢欣，

Far on the ringing plains of windy Troy.

在那金戈铿锵狂风呼啸的特洛伊旷野上。

I am a part of all that I have met;

而今我只留存于我毕生之遭际中；

Yet all experience is an arch wherethro'

可一切经历都只是像座拱门，穿过门洞，

Gleams that untravell'd world whose margin fades

那从没到过的世界在闪烁；它茫茫的边界，

For ever and forever when I move.

随着我向前，始终始终隐没在远方。

How dull it is to pause, to make an end,

多闷人呀，就此停止，就此了结，

To rust unburnish'd, not to shine in use!

不擦擦就锈烂，不因使用而发亮！

As tho' to breathe were life! Life piled on life

就好像有口气就算活着！成堆的生命

Were all too little, and of one to me

都嫌太渺小，而我的生命留给我的

Little remains: but every hour is saved

又是这么少；但其中，每一个时辰

From that eternal silence, something more,

都还能从永恒的沉寂中得救，只要

A bringer of new things; and vile it were

它能带来些新事物，能增加点儿什么；

For some three suns to store and hoard myself,

多可恶，要是三年之久把自己包着藏着，

And this gray spirit yearning in desire

而这斑白的头颅却正在渴望呼唤，

To follow knowledge like a sinking star,

像颗正在沉没的星星追赶真知，

Beyond the utmost bound of human thought.

直追到人类思维的极限之外。

         This is my son, mine own Telemachus,

　　这是我的儿子，我的忒勒玛科斯，

To whom I leave the sceptre and the isle,—

给他，我留下这王杖，留下这岛国——

Well-loved of me, discerning to fulfil

我钟爱的人，他明察秋毫，足以完成

This labour, by slow prudence to make mild

这项劳作，用和缓的谨慎来驯服

A rugged people, and thro' soft degrees

那粗鲁的百姓，借助温良的手段

Subdue them to the useful and the good.

诱导他们成为有用的好人。

Most blameless is he, centred in the sphere

他白璧无瑕，众星拱月般居于

Of common duties, decent not to fail

常事俗务之中心，他体面正派

In offices of tenderness, and pay

将无失乎礼仪的柔顺，我走后

Meet adoration to my household gods,

他会恰如其分，享祀我的家神。

When I am gone. He works his work, I mine.

他会做好他的工作，我，做好我的。

         There lies the port; the vessel puffs her sail:

　　这儿就躺着海港，船儿正扑打着帆，

There gloom the dark, broad seas. My mariners,

宽广的大海黑沉沉，若隐若现。我的水手们，

Souls that have toil'd, and wrought, and thought with me—

那和我一块儿苦，一块儿炼，一块儿想的灵魂——

That ever with a frolic welcome took

总是用嬉闹和欢笑来迎接雷霆，

The thunder and the sunshine, and opposed

迎接阳光；顶之以自由的心，

Free hearts, free foreheads—you and I are old;

自由的前额——你们和我都已老啦！

Old age hath yet his honour and his toil;

可老年有老年的荣耀、老年的辛勤。

Death closes all: but something ere the end,

死亡将结束一切，但在末日之先，

Some work of noble note, may yet be done,

做点儿高贵的事业，还来得及，

Not unbecoming men that strove with Gods.

那事业要配得上与众神相搏的人。

The lights begin to twinkle from the rocks:

礁石上灯火点点，已开始闪烁明灭，

The long day wanes: the slow moon climbs: the deep

长昼耗尽，缓月徐升，大海呜咽，

Moans round with many voices. Come, my friends,

涛拥百音千声；来吧，我的朋友们，

'T is not too late to seek a newer world.

要寻找新世界，现在还不迟。

Push off, and sitting well in order smite

推桨开船吧，让我们坐坐稳，

The sounding furrows; for my purpose holds

来拍出那砰砰作响的航迹；

To sail beyond the sunset, and the baths

因为我的目标就是要驶过那西天

Of all the western stars, until I die.

日落大洋众星浴海的地方，至死方休。

It may be that the gulfs will wash us down:

也许，汹涌的海浪将把我们吞没；

It may be we shall touch the Happy Isles,

也许，踏上极乐之岛的也就是我们，

And see the great Achilles, whom we knew.

还会遇见阿喀琉斯，我们的老相识。

Tho' much is taken, much abides; and tho'

虽然被取走的多，留下的也多，

We are not now that strength which in old days

尽管我们的精力不再像往昔，

Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are;

足以惊天动地；我们素来是、现在还是——

One equal temper of heroic hearts,

一样的脾性，一样雄赳赳的心，

Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will

时光和命运虽使之衰弱，但仍有坚强意志

To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.

去斗争、去探寻、去发现，永不退却。