江 楓（譯）

A tree's leaves may be ever so good,

So may its bark,so may its wood;

But unless you put the right thing to its root

It never will show much flower or fruit.

But I may be one who does not care

Ever to have tree bloom or bear.

Leaves for smooth and bark for rough,

Leaves and bark may be tree enough.

Some giant trees have bloom so small,

They might as well have none at all.

Late in life I have come on fern.

Now lichens are due to have their turn.

I bade men tell me which in brief,

Which is fairer,flower or leaf.

They did not have the wit to say,

Leaves by night and flowers by day.

Leaves and bark,leaves and bark,

To lean against and hear in the dark.

Petals I may have once pursued.

Leaves are all my darker mood.

一棵樹(shù)上的樹(shù)葉可能永遠(yuǎn)美好，

樹(shù)皮可能這樣，樹(shù)木可能這樣；

但是除非給它根部合適的東西，

它就絕不會(huì)結(jié)果不會(huì)有花開(kāi)放。

不過(guò)我，也可能是這樣一個(gè)人，

既不關(guān)心開(kāi)花，也不關(guān)心結(jié)果。

樹(shù)葉，有光滑，樹(shù)皮，有粗糙，

有樹(shù)葉有樹(shù)皮作為樹(shù)也就夠了。

有些巨人般大樹(shù)有花開(kāi)卻很小，

那樣的大樹(shù)也可能一朵也沒(méi)有。

到了后來(lái)，我開(kāi)始喜歡起蕨類，

至于苔蘚，也會(huì)有輪到的機(jī)會(huì)。

我曾叫人用簡(jiǎn)短的話回答問(wèn)題，

鮮花和綠葉相比較，誰(shuí)，更美。

他們沒(méi)有回答問(wèn)題的足夠智慧，

夜晚葉子美些，白天的花兒美。

樹(shù)葉，和樹(shù)皮，樹(shù)葉，和樹(shù)皮，

黑暗中，相互傾聽(tīng)，相偎相依，

以往，我可能一度追逐過(guò)鮮花，

如今，綠葉符合我抑郁的情緒。