The Shadow on the Stone
[英]托馬斯·哈代
Thomas Hardy
我從凱爾特石旁走過
她在花園中，蒼白而孤單
我停步看著搖曳的樹影
伴著節奏的擺動，
不時從石上掠過。
在我的印象裏，這影子如此熟悉，
如她在園中幹活時
頭與肩所投下的影子。
我感覺她就在身後，
的確，我們分開已久，
因此我說：“我知道你就在身後，
但你怎麽也會走這條老路呢？”
沒有任何回答，除了一片葉子
黯然飄落；我不願回頭證實
這一切不過是幻覺，
唯恐哀傷決堤。
然而，我想親眼看看
我的身後確實沒人；
但我轉念一想：“不，我不能打破這幻想，
無論怎樣，就讓那可能的影子存在吧。”
於是，我輕輕走出這林間空地，
讓她的影子在我身後顯現，
仿佛她真的是幽靈——
我沒有回頭，以免打碎這幻夢。
I went by the Druid stone
That broods in the garden white and lone，
And I stopped and looked at the shifting shadows，
That at some moments fall thereon
From the tree hard by with a rhythmic swing，
And they shaped in my imagining
To the shade that a well-known head and shoulders
Threw there when she was gardening.
I thought her behind my back，
Yea， her I long had learned to lack，
And I said："I am sure you are standing behind me，
Though how do you get into this old track？"
And there was no sound but the fall of a leaf
As a sad response；and to keep down my grief
I would not turn my head to discover
That there was nothing in my belief.
Yet I wanted to look and see
That nobody stood at the back of me；
But I thought once more："Nay， I'll not unvision
A shape which， somehow， there may be."