3

IN the morning I cast my net into the sea.

I dragged up from the dark abyss things of strange aspect and strange beauty—some shone like a smile, some glistened like tears, and some were flushed like the cheeks of a bride.

When with the day's burden I went home, my love was sitting in the garden idly tearing the leaves of a flower.

I hesitated for a moment, and then placed at her feet all that I had dragged up, and stood silent.

She glanced at them and said, “What strange things are these? I know not of what use they are!”

I bowed my head in shame and thought, “I have not fought for these, I did not buy them in the market; they are not fit gifts for her.”

Then the whole night through I flung them one by one into the street.

In the morning travellers came; they picked them up and carried them into far countries.

3

早晨我把网撒在海里。

我从沉黑的深渊拉出奇形奇美的东西——

有些微笑般地发亮，

有些眼泪般地闪光，

有的晕红得像新娘的双颊。

当我携带着这一天的担负回到家里的时候，

我爱正坐在园里悠闲地扯着花叶。

我沉吟了一会儿，

就把我捞得的一切放在她的脚前，沉默地站着。

她瞥了一眼说：“这是些什么怪东西？

我不知道这些东西有什么用处！”

我羞愧得低了头，心想：

“我并没有为这些东西去奋斗，

也不是从市场里买来的；

这不是一些配送给她的礼物。”

整夜的工夫我把这些东西一件一件地丢到街上。

早晨行路的人来了；

他们把这些拾起带到远方去了。