6

THE tame bird was in a cage, the free bird was in the forest.

They met when the time came, it was a decree of fate.

The free bird cries, “O my love, let us fly to wood.”

The cage bird whispers, “Come hither, let us both live in the cage.”

Says the free bird, “Among bars, where is there room to spread one's wings?”

“Alas,” cries the cage bird, “I should not know where to sit perched in the sky.”

The free bird cries, “My darling, sing the songs of the woodlands.”

The cage bird says, “Sit by my side, I'll teach you the speech of the learned.”

The forest bird cries, “No, ah no! Songs can never be taught.”

The cage bird says, “Alas for me, I know not the songs of the woodlands.”

Their love is intense with longing, but they never can fly wing to wing.

Through the bars of the cage they look, and vain is their wish to know each other.

They flutter their wings in yearning, and sing, “Come closer, my love!”

The free bird cries, “It cannot be, I fear the closed doors of the cage.”

The cage bird whispers, “Alas, my wings are powerless and dead.”

6

驯养的鸟在笼里，自由的鸟在林中。

时间到了，他们相会，这是命中注定的。

自由的鸟说：

“啊，我爱，让我们飞到林中去吧。”

笼中的鸟低声说：

“到这里来吧，让我俩都住在笼里。”

自由的鸟说：

“在栅栏中间，哪有展翅的余地呢？”

“可怜啊，”笼中的鸟说，

“在天空中我不晓得到哪里去栖息。”

自由的鸟叫唤说：

“我的宝贝，唱起林野之歌吧。”

笼中的鸟说：

“坐在我旁边吧，我要教你说学者的语言。”

自由的鸟叫唤说：

“不，不！歌曲是不能传授的。”

笼中的鸟说：

“可怜的我啊，我不会唱林野之歌。”

他们的爱情因渴望而更加热烈，

但是他们永不能比翼双飞。

他们隔栏相望，

而他们相知的愿望是虚空的。

他们在依恋中振翼，唱说：

“靠近些吧，我爱！”

自由的鸟叫唤说：

“这是做不到的，我怕这笼子的紧闭的门。”

笼里的鸟低声说：

“我的翅翼是无力的，而且已经死去了。”