第一册第4篇：树

（单词翻译）

4 Trees 树
Joyce Kilmer 乔埃斯·基尔默

I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree;
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest(1)
Against the earth’s sweet flowing breast(2);
A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms(3) to pray;
A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins¹ in her hair;
Upon whose bosom² snow has lain,
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.

中文译文：
我想我永远也不会看到
象一棵树那样优美的诗篇，
树那饥渴的嘴唇紧紧贴住
大地乳汁甘美的胸脯，
它整天仰望着上帝，
举起枝叶繁茂的手臂祈祷，
它那茂密如发的枝叶里
夏天会筑起知更鸟的安乐窝，
雪花飘落在它怀里，
它同雨水亲密无间。
诗歌出自我等愚人之手，
而树却是造化的天工。

英文注释：
(1) prest: pressed的变体，为了与下面一行最后一个词breast押韵而采用。
(2)flowing breast： 相当于breast flowing with milk，解作"流出奶汁的乳房’，用来比喻土壤的肥沃。
(3)leafy arms： 指叶子茂盛的树枝