Roses and Rue

Ⅰ

I remember we used to meet

By a garden seat,

And you warbled each pretty word

With the air of a bird,



And your voice had a quaver in it

Just like a linnet,

And shook with the last full note

As the thrush's throat.



And your eyes, they were green and grey,

Like an April day,

But lit into amethyst

When I stooped and kissed.



And your hair—well, I never could tie it,

For it ran all riot

Like a tangled sunbeam of gold,

Great fold upon fold.

Ⅱ

You were always afraid of a shower,

(Just like a flower!);

I remember you started and ran

When the rain began.



I remember I never could catch you,

For no one could match you;

You had wonderful luminous fleet

Little wings to your feet.



Yet you somehow would give me the prize,

With a laugh in your eyes,

The rose from your breast, or the bliss

Of a single swift kiss



On your neck with its marble hue,

And its vein of blue—

How these passionate memories bite

In my heart as I write!

Ⅲ

I remember so well the room,

And the lilac bloom

That beat at the dripping pane

In the warm June rain.



And the colour of your gown,

It was amber-brown,

And two yellow satin bows

From the shoulders rose.



And the handkerchief of French lace

Which you held to your face—

Had a tear-drop left a stain?

Or was it the rain?



'You have only wasted your life.'—

(Ah! there was the knife!)

Those were the words you said,

As you turned your head.



I had wasted my boyhood, true,

But it was for you,

You had poets enough on the shelf,

I gave you myself!

Ⅳ

Well, if my heart must break,

Dear Love, for your sake,

It will break in music, I know;

Poets' hearts break so.

But strange that I was not told

That the brain can hold

In a tiny ivory cell

God's Heaven and Hell.

玫瑰与芸香

1

我记得我们经常相会

在花园的长椅旁边，

你说出每个可爱的单词，

如同小鸟在空中啼啭，



你的嗓音有一丝震颤，

就像一只蹦跳的红雀，

抖出最后一个圆满的音符，

恰似画眉鸟的歌喉。



你的美眸灰中带绿，

像明媚的四月天，

当我俯身给它们一吻，

却闪烁着紫晶的微光。



你的秀发，我也从不曾编结，

它们总在放肆奔跑，

仿佛相互纠缠的太阳光，

一层又一层地叠加。

2

你总是害怕抛头露面，

（羞涩如一朵鲜花！）；

我记得某次雨水降临，

你撒开脚丫就跑。



我记得我总撵不上你，

没人能是你的对手；

你敏捷如同电光一闪，

双脚长着一对小翅膀。



有时你也给我一点奖励，

美眸荡漾着笑意，

胸佩一朵玫瑰，或者飞速

递过至福的亲吻。



你的颈项有大理石的光泽，

隐现蓝色的静脉——

当我书写的时候，我的心

忍受着激情的回忆噬咬。

3

我清楚地记得那房间，

盛开的紫丁香，

伴随六月温暖的雨水

轻轻扑打着小窗。



还有你长裙的颜色，

是深棕的琥珀色，

两个小小的真丝蝴蝶结，

你香肩上的一朵玫瑰。



还有法兰西风格的手帕，

经常依偎你的香腮——

是否留下一滴泪痕？

抑或是一个雨点？



“你只是在浪费自己的生命，”——

（哦！这可真是一把刀子！）

这是你说出的一句话，

当你转过你的身子。



我已浪费我少年的时光，诚然，

那是为你的缘故，

你的书架摆放着许多诗人，

我还是要把自己呈献！

4

好吧，倘若我的心脏必须破碎，

我的亲亲，让它为你而碎，

它将在音乐中消融，我明白；

诗人的心脏也是如此破碎。

但奇怪的是没有人告诉过我，

人的头脑只用一个

细小的牙雕，就容纳了

上帝的天堂和地狱。