Winter
by William Shakespeare
When icicles hang by the wall
And Dick the shepherd blows his nail
And Tom bears logs into the hall,
And milk comes frozen home in pail,
When blood is nipped and ways be foul1,
Then nightly sings the staring owl2,
Tu-who;
Tu-whit, Tu-who: a merry note,
While greasy3 Joan doth keel the pot.
When all aloud the wind doth blow,
And coughing drowns the parson's saw,
And birds sit brooding in the snow,
And Marian's nose looks red and raw,
When roasted crabs4 hiss5 in the bowl,
Then nightly sings the staring owl,
Tu-who;
Tu-whit, Tu-who: a merry note,
While greasy Joan doth keel the pot.
冬之歌
冰柱条条悬挂在岩梢
牧羊人老李吹着他的手爪,
老唐把木柴抱进了厅堂,
送来的牛奶冻在路上:
手足有冻疮,路又不像样,
枭鸟鼓着眼睛,夜:在唱
荒唐!
荒唐,荒唐!调子倒满响亮!
正在搅拌沙锅,那油垢的蒋。
寒风四处吹个不停,
咳嗽声淹没了牧师的讲经,
众鸟栖息在雪地里的巢,
玛良的鼻子冻成朵红海椒;
酸林檎在钵子里啾啾地响,
枭鸟鼓着眼睛,夜:在唱
荒唐!
荒唐,荒唐!调子倒满响亮!
正在搅拌沙锅,那油垢的蒋。
注释:这首诗歌选自莎士比亚喜剧《爱的徒劳》,是在全剧结束时由一个名叫“冬天”的扮成猫头鹰的丑角演唱的。。诗中展现了一幅16世纪末英格兰农村冬季的民俗画,一方面是寒风瑟缩的冬景,另一方面是热气腾腾的场面,两者形成对照,使冰雪寒冬之中充满了蓬勃生机。
blows his nail:向手指呵气取暖
blood is nipped:血液冻结
foul:泥泞的
Tu-whit, tu-who:猫头鹰的叫声
Joan:女厨名
saw:格言,此处指牧师的说教。
Marian:女仆名
crabs:crab apples,(野生的)酸苹果,此处指一种用酸苹果酿的酒。