葉和花比

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.

一棵樹上的樹葉可能永遠美好，

樹皮可能這樣，樹木可能這樣；

但是除非給它根部合適的東西，

它就絕不會結果不會有花開放。

不過我，也可能是這樣一個人，

既不關心開花，也不關心結果。

樹葉，有光滑，樹皮，有粗糙，

有樹葉有樹皮作為樹也就夠了。

有些巨人般大樹有花開卻很小，

那樣的大樹也可能一朵也沒有。

到了后來，我開始喜歡起蕨類，

至于苔蘚，也會有輪到的機會。

我曾叫人用簡短的話回答問題，

鮮花和綠葉相比較，誰，更美。

他們沒有回答問題的足夠智慧，

夜晚葉子美些，白天的花兒美。

樹葉，和樹皮，樹葉，和樹皮，

黑暗中，相互傾聽，相偎相依，

以往，我可能一度追逐過鮮花，

如今，綠葉符合我抑郁的情緒。