I sat all morning in the college sick bay

一整个上午我都坐在学校医务室里

Counting bells knelling classes to a close.

数着下课铃声即将敲响。

At two o'clock our neighbors drove me home.

两点钟邻居开车来接我回家。

In the porch I met my father crying--

在走廊上我看见父亲在哭泣——

He had always taken funerals in his stride--

平时这些丧事他总能应付自如——

And Big Jim Evans saying it was a hard blow.

大个子吉姆·伊文斯说，这次是个重大打击。

The baby cooed and laughed and rocked the pram

婴儿咯咯笑着，摇动婴儿车

When I came in, and I was embarrassed

当我进来，老人们起来

By old men standing up to shake my hand

握住我的手，我好不尴尬

And tell me they were 'sorry for my trouble,'

他们说“为我的不幸表示哀悼。”

Whispers informed strangers I was the eldest,

而陌生人嘀咕说，我是家里老大，

Away at school, as my mother held my hand

常年在外教书，当母亲拉着我的手

In hers and coughed out angry tearless sighs.

咳嗽连连，还甩出几滴无泪的叹息。

At ten o'clock the ambulance arrived

十点钟救护车来了，运来

With the corpse, stanched and bandaged by the nurses.

护士们止了血包扎好的尸体。

Next morning I went up into the room. Snowdrops

第二天早晨我到房间里去。雪莲花

And candles soothed the bedside; I saw him

和蜡烛舒缓着床榻；六周以来

For the first time in six weeks. Paler now,

我头一次看见他。比以前更苍白，

Wearing a poppy bruise on his left temple,

左太阳穴上有块紫色挫伤，

He lay in the four foot box as in his cot.

他躺在四英尺长的箱子里好像他的小床。

No gaudy scars, the bumper knocked him clear.

没有明显的伤痕，保险杠击倒了他。

A four foot box, a foot for every year.

四尺宽的箱子，每年增长一尺。