Rush——匆匆Swallowsmayhavegone,butthereisatimeofreturn;willowtreesmayhavediedback,butthereisatimeofregreening;peachblossomsmayhavefallen,buttheywillbloomagain.Now,youthewise,tellme,whyshouldourdaysleaveus,nevertoreturn?-Iftheyhadbeenstolenbysomeone,whocoulditbe?Wherecouldhehidethem?Iftheyhadmadetheescapethemselves,thenwherecouldtheystayatthemoment?燕子去了,有再来的时候;杨柳枯了,有再青的时候;桃花谢了,有再开的时候。但是,聪明的你告诉我,我们的日子为什么一去不复返呢?——是有人偷了他们罢:那是谁?又藏在何处呢?是他们自己逃走了:现在又到了哪里呢?Idon'tknowhowmanydaysIhavebeengiventospend,butIdofeelmyhandsaregettingempty.Takingstocksilently,Ifindthatmorethaneightthousanddayshavealreadyslidawayfromme.Likeadropofwaterfromthepointofaneedledisappearingintotheocean,mydaysaredrippingintothestreamoftime,soundless,traceless.Alreadysweatisstartingonmyforehead,andtearswellingupinmyeyes.我不知道他们给了我多少日子;但我的手确乎是渐渐空虚了。在默默里算着,八千多日子已经从我手中溜去;象针尖上一滴水滴在大海里,我的日子滴在时间的流里,没有声音也没有影子。我不禁头涔涔而泪潸潸了。Thosethathavegonehavegoneforgood,thosetocomekeepcoming;yetinbetween,howswiftistheshift,insucharush?WhenIgetupinthemorning,theslantingsunmarksitspresenceinmysmallroomintwoorthreeoblongs.Thesunhasfeet,look,heistreadingon,lightlyandfurtively;andIamcaught,blankly,inhisrevolution.Thus--thedayflowsawaythroughthesinkwhenIwashmyhands,wearsoffinthebowlwhenIeatmymeal,andpassesawaybeforemyday-dreaminggazeasreflectinsilence.Icanfeelhishastenow,soIreachoutmyhandstoholdhimback,buthekeepsflowingpastmywithholdinghands.Intheevening,asIlieinbed,hestridesovermybody,glidespastmyfeet,inhisagileway.ThemomentIopenmyeyesandmeetthesunagain,onewholedayhasgone.Iburymyfaceinmyhandsandheaveasigh.Butthenewdaybeginstoflashpastinthesigh.去的尽管去了,来的尽管来着,去来的中间,又怎样的匆匆呢?早上我起来的时候,小屋里射进两三方斜斜的太阳。太阳他有脚啊,轻轻悄悄地挪移了;我也茫茫然跟着旋转。于是——洗手的时候,日子从水盆里过去;吃饭的时候,日子从饭碗里过去;默默时,便从凝然的双眼前过去。我觉察他去的匆匆了,伸出手遮挽时,他又从遮挽着的手边过去,天黑时,我躺在床上,他便伶伶俐俐地从我身边垮过,从我脚边飞去了。等我睁开眼和太阳再见,这算又溜走了一日。我掩着面叹息。但是新来的日子的影儿又开始在叹息里闪过了。WhatcanIdo,inthisbustlingworld,withmydaysflyingintheirescape?Nothingbuttohesitate,torush.WhathaveIbeendoinginthateight-thousand-dayrush,apartfromhesitating?Thosebygonedayshavebeendispersedassmokebyalightwind,orevaporatedasmistbythemorningsun.WhattraceshaveIleftbehindme?HaveIeverleftbehindanygossamertracesatall?Ihavecometotheworld,starknaked;amItogoback,inablink,inthesamestarknakedness?Itisnotfairthough:whyshouldIhavemadesuchatripfornothing!在逃去如飞的日子里,在千门万户的世界里的我能做些什么呢?只有徘徊罢了,只有匆匆罢了;在八千多日的匆匆里,除徘徊外,又剩些什么呢?过去的日子如轻烟却被微风吹散了,如薄雾,被初阳蒸融了;我留着些什么痕迹呢?我何曾留着象游丝样的痕迹呢?我赤裸裸来到这世界,转眼间也将赤裸裸地回去罢?但不能平的,为什么偏要白白走这一遭啊?Youthewise,tellme,whyshouldourdaysleaveus,nevertoreturn?你聪明的,告诉我,我们的日子为什么一去不复返呢?SpringThaw/春天的融化EveryAprilIambesetbythesameconcern--thatspringmightnotoccurthisyear.Thelandscapelooksforsaken,withhills,skyandforestformingasinglegraymeld,likethewashanartistpaintsonacanvasbeforethemasterwork.Myspiritsebb,astheydidduringanAprilsnowfallwhenIfirstcametoMaine15yearsago.Justwait?aneighborcounseled.You'llwakeuponemorningandspringwilljustbehere?Andlo,onMay3thatyearIawoketoagreensostartlingastobealmostelectric,asifspringweresimplyamatterofflippingaswitch.Hills,skyandforestrevealedtheirpurples,bluesandgreen.Leaveshadunfurled,goldfincheshadarrivedatthefeederanddaffodilswerefightingtheirwayheavenward.Thentherewastheoldappletree.Itsitsonanundevelopedlotinmyneighborhood.Itbelongstonooneandthereforetoeveryone.Thetree'sdarktwistedbranchessprawlinunprunedabandon.Eachspringitblossomssoprofuselythattheairbecomessaturatedwiththearomaofapple.WhenIdrivebywithmywindowsrolleddown,itgivesmethefeelingofmovinginanotherelement,likeakidonawaterslide.Untillastyear,IthoughtIwastheonlyoneawareofthistree.Andthenoneday,inafitofspringmadness,Isetoutwithprunerandloppertoremoveafewerrantbranches.NosoonerhadIarrivedunderitsboughsthanneighborsopenedtheirwindowsandsteppedontotheirporches.ThesewerepeopleIbarelyknewandseldomspoketo,butitwasasifIhadcomeunbiddensintotheirpersonalgardens.Mymobile-homeneighborwasthefirsttospeak.You'renotcuttingitdown,areyou?AnotherneighborwincedasIloppedoffabranch.don'tkillit,now,hecautioned.Soonhalftheneighborhoodhadjoinedmeundertheapplearbor.ItstruckmethatIhadlivedthereforfiveyearsandonlynowwaslearningthesepeople'snames,whattheydidforalivingandhowtheypassedthewinter.Itwasasiftheoldappletreegatheringusunderitsboughsforthedualpurposeofacquaintanceshipandsharedwonder.Icouldn'thelprecallingRobertFrost'swords:Thetreesthathaveitintheirpent-upbuds.Todarkennatureandbesummerwoods?Onethawledtoanother.JusttheotherdayIsawoneofmyneighborsatthelocalstore.Heremarkedhowthisrecentwinterhadbeenespeciallylongandlamentednotshavingseenorspokenatlengthtoanyoneinourneighborhood.Andthen,recoupinghisthoughts,helookedatmeandsaid,heneedtoprunethatappletreeagain.每年四月我总是被同一个念头困扰着——今年的春天可能不会来了吧。四周的景色一片凄凉,小山、天空和森林灰蒙蒙的,就像画家的名作画成之前画布上的底色一般。我情绪低沉,15年前我初次来到缅因州,一次四月里下雪的时候我便是这样。“等等看”,一个邻居劝我,“说不定哪一天你一觉醒来,春天已经来了。”果不其然,那年的5月3日,我一觉醒来,发现(窗外)绿意逼人,简直让人惊异。春天好像开了闸一样一下子就来到了眼前。小山、天空和森林霎间显出了紫色、蓝色、绿色。树叶舒展开来,黄雀翩翩飞来觅食,黄水仙也朝天竞相生长。然后就是那棵老苹果树了,它耸立在我家附近的一块荒地中。它不属于任何人,所以也就归每个人所有。苹果树乌黑、虬曲的枝条因未经修剪而恣意蔓生。每到春天,它便蓬勃绽开花蕾,空气中弥漫着苹果花的芳香。当我开着车窗驱车路过的时候,它让我觉得是到了另一个天地,如同孩子乘坐水滑梯一般。直到去年为止,我还以为就我一个人意识到这棵树的存在。