诗人的韵

The rhyme of the poet

调节君王的事务；

Modulates the king's affairs;

爱平衡的自然

Balance-loving Nature

成对地铸造万物。

Made all things in pairs.

每一点都为另一点而设，

To every foot its antipode;

每一种颜色都有相反的颜色，

Each color with its counter glowed;

每一种声音呼应着另一种声音，

To every tone beat answering tones,

或高或低，

Higher or graver;

各种味道快乐地融合在一起；

Flavor gladly blends with flavor;

叶子在枝条上相互应和，

Leaf answers leaf upon the bough;

还未发芽时它们就是如此亲近。

And match the paired cotyledons.

手挨着手，足挨着足，

Hands to hands, and feet to feet,

新郎新娘将同一个身体分享；

In one body grooms and brides;

古老的仪式，婚姻的双方

Eldest rite, two married sides

在每位凡人的生命里居住。

In every mortal meet.

光的熔炉在远处亮闪，

Light's far furnace shines,

它熔化球形与条形，

Smelting balls and bars,

锻造成对的星星，

Forging double stars,

让它们谁也不孤单。

Glittering twins and trines.

动物们因爱而癫狂，

The animals are sick with love,

因相思而押韵；

Lovesick with rhyme;

都在恰当的时辰

Each with all propitious Time

加入世界的合唱。

Into chorus wove.

就像舞者的乐队有条不紊，

Like the dancers' ordered band,

思想也手拉着手现身；

Thoughts come also hand in hand;

它们成对地表演，

In equal couples mated,

时而交换一下舞伴；

Or else alternated;

彼此帮助，彼此映衬，

Adding by their mutual gage,

不乏智慧，也不乏青春。

One to other, health and age.

那些形单影只的奇想

Solitary fancies go

却只能短暂地飘荡，

Short-lived wandering to and fro,

就像单身汉

Most like to bachelors,

或嫁不出去的女孩，

Or an ungiven maid,

他们做不了祖先，

Not ancestors,

无法留下让谎言恐惧的后代，

With no posterity to make the lie afraid,

也无法让真理永不朽坏。

Or keep truth undecayed.

像鹰的双翼那样完美，

Perfect-paired as eagle's wings,

万物的韵在于平衡搭配，

Justice is the rhyme of things;

数学与贸易

Trade and counting use

同样要求助于和谐的缪斯。

The self-same tuneful muse;

奈米西斯女神

And Nemesis,

也是让奇数与偶数相配，

Who with even matches odd,

她在天地间驻临，

Who athwart space redresses

纠正一切失衡，

The partial wrong,

让音符尽善尽美，

Fills the just period,

让歌曲浑然天成。

And finishes the song.

微妙的韵，丰盛的废墟，

Subtle rhymes, with ruin rife,

在生的房子里喁喁低语，

Murmur in the house of life,

三姐妹一边织，一边唱；

Sung by the Sisters as they spin;

我们这些轮回中的泥土，

In perfect time and measure they

应和着她们完美的音律，

Build and unbuild our echoing clay.

当黎明黄昏的暗淡天幕

As the two twilights of the day

把音乐饮醉的我们掩藏。

Fold us music-drunken in.