86. Longing

——M. Arnold

Come to me in my dreams, and then

By day I shall be well again.

For then the night will more than pay

The hopeless longing of the day.

Come, as thou cam'st a thousand times

A messenger from the radiant climes,

And smile on thy new world, and be

As kind to others as to me.

Or, as thou never cam'st in sooth,

Come now, and let me dream it truth.

And part my hair, and kiss my brow,

And say——My love! why sufferest thou?

Come to me in my dreams, and then

By day I shall be well again.

For then the night will more than pay

The hopeless longing of the day.

86　渴望

阿诺德[1]

来吧，到我的梦中造访，

让我白昼的神志恢复正常。

只要晚上的所得足够丰厚，

白昼无望的思念何须怨尤。

来吧，像你千百次降临那样，

作为使者起驾于耀眼的东方，

向你的新世界露出笑脸，

仁慈地待我，一如对待别人。

如果你事实上从未来过下界，

就请现在来，让我梦中见到你，

把我的头发分开，吻我的额头，

并说一声：亲爱的，你为何忧愁？

来吧，到我的梦中造访，

让我白昼的神志恢复正常，

只要晚上的所得足够丰厚，

白昼无望的思念何须怨尤！

* * *

[1]马修·阿诺德（Matthew Arnold ，1822—1888），诗人、文学批评家，史学家托马斯·阿诺德的儿子。在父亲任校长的学校接受早期教育，而后求学于牛津大学。诗歌代表作有《迷途的狂欢者》《色希斯》《多佛海滩》《索赫拉布和鲁斯托姆》等。文论著作有《论今日批评的作用》《诗的研究》《评华兹华斯》等。