致我的母親

By+Edgar+Allan+Poe

Because I feel that， in the Heavens above，

The angels， whispering to one another，

Can find， among their burning terms of love，

None so devotional as that of “Mother”，

Therefore by that dear name I long have called you—

You who are more than mother unto me，

And fill my heart of hearts， where Death installed you

In setting my Virginias spirit free.

My mother—my own mother， who died early，

Was but the mother of myself； but you

Are mother to the one I loved so dearly，

And thus are dearer than the mother I knew

By that infinity with which my wife

Was dearer to my soul than its soul-life.

因為我感到：我們頭上的天堂里，

彼此間輕聲交談的天使，

在她們充滿愛的熾熱詞匯中，

找不到具有“母親”這種獻身精神的詞語，

所以我一直以這親切的詞叫你——

對我來說，現在你比母親還要親，

而在解放我弗吉尼亞的靈魂時，

死神把你深深埋進了我的內心。

我的母親，我很早就去世的母親，

只不過是我本人的母親，可是你，

你卻生下了我如此摯愛的人，

所以我的母親遠不能同你相比，

猶如對我靈魂而言，靈魂的生命

遠不能同我的妻子比一比誰更珍貴。endprint