a shropshire lad
—— a e housman
from far, from eve and morning
and yontwelve-windedsky,
The stuff of life to knit me
Blew hither: here am I.
Now -- for a breath I tarry
Nor yet disperse apart --
Take my hand quick and t ell me,
What have you in your heart.
Speak now, and I will answer;
How shall I help you, say;
ere to the wind's twelve quarters
I take my endless way.
Translation:
From afar,
From dusk and early morning,
The good wind from the sky is blowing gently,
The breath of life is blowing on me.
Come on, stay while the breath of life,
linger,
hold my hand,
tell me your heart.
A·E· horsman, The Wanderer of Shropshire?
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About eight or nine years ago, I read Roger's science fiction novel, Stay while Life Breathes. At that time, I was deeply shocked by the story, and since then, I have engraved the poem sung by the protagonist in the text in my heart.
come on, stay while the breath of life. Yes, what a beautiful chant. Since then, I have been obsessed with finding this poem. As mentioned above, the original poem has three sections, and the first two sections have been translated. I have to sigh that Chinese is rich and beautiful, and the translation is so wonderful.
But I haven't found the translation of the third verse, and I don't know. Is it because the translator feels unable to control himself after translating these two verses, or is it because he only deliberately translated the first two verses, leaving a lingering aftertaste?
maybe never.
until three years ago, I tried tirelessly to translate by myself, but compared with the first two translations, it was simply terrible. I have given up. But I am still eager to find the most beautiful translation and complete this poem.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Attached is the translation of my friend Lazy Wind:
(The first two sections remain unchanged)
From afar,
.
Come on, stay while the breath of life,
linger,
hold my hand,
tell me your heart.
Go ahead, I'll promise.
Do you have a wish?
If the wind comes,
I have embarked on a long road that
belongs to me.
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The translation found in the journal of Douban's neighbor, Maybe. (He said it was not self-translated, so I don't know the source for the time being. Because I didn't find the complete translation in Science Fiction World. )
From afar
From dusk and early morning
The good wind from the sky is blowing gently
The breath of life is blowing on me
Come on, while the breath of life lingers
Hold my hand
Tell me your heart
Tell me, I can answer
how can I help you
on the eve of my endless journey to the other side of the twelve winds
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Come on, stay while the breath of life,
linger,
hold my hand,
tell me your heart.
come and tell me, and I'll give you an answer.
How can I help?
I haven't set foot on a long journey yet, taking advantage of the twelve good winds.