經典詩歌:Mending Wall 修牆
Something there is that doesn't love a wall,
有一樣東西它不喜歡牆，That sends the frozen ground-swell under it,
凍脹了牆下的基礎土壤，And spills the upper boulders in the sun;
太陽一曬，牆上石塊跌落在兩旁；
And makes gaps even two can pass abreast.
牆體開裂，雙人並肩而過像穿堂。The work of hunters is another thing:
獵人的行爲則是另一番景象：I have come after them and made repair
我要緊隨其後修補不停的忙，Where they have left not one stone on a stone,
他們拆掉石塊卻不放回原位上，But they would have the rabbit out of hiding,
而是把兔子趕出讓它們難躲藏，To please the yelping dogs. The gaps I mean,
惹得獵狗叫汪汪。我所說的裂縫No one has seen them made or heard them made,
沒有誰見過其開裂聽過其聲響，But at spring mending-time we find them there.
但到春天來修補，眼前已是百孔千瘡。I let my neighbor know beyond the hill;
我通知了山那邊的鄰居街坊，And on a day we meet to walk the line
約好了一天沿着牆巡查一趟，And set the wall between us once again.
重新壘起我們之間的這堵牆。We keep the wall between us as we go.
我們沿着牆各自走在各一方，To each the boulders that have fallen to each.
將各自一側的石塊收拾妥當。And some are loaves and some so nearly balls
有些石塊成塊狀，有些近乎於球狀，We have to use a spell to make them balance:
我們不得不口唸咒語確保其穩當："Stay where you are until our backs are turned!"
“請呆在那兒不要晃，等我們折回來查訪！”We wear our fingers rough with handling them.
我們搬弄石塊，手指被磨得粗糙無光。Oh, just another kind of out-door game,
啊，這種戶外遊戲只不過別於它樣，One on a side. It comes to little more:
玩家各站各一方。這讓我若有所想：There where it is we do not need the wall:
我們在這裏並不需要修建這堵牆：He is all pine and I am apple orchard.
那邊種松木這邊種蘋果樹隔牆相望。My apple trees will never get across
我的蘋果樹永遠不會越過這一屏障：And eat the cones under his pines, I tell him.
跑到他松樹下去把松果嘗，我對他講。He only says, "Good fences make good neighbors."
他只好說，“好籬笆會促成好街坊。”Spring is the mischief in me, and I wonder
春天讓我好心傷，我想知道If I could put a notion in his head:
我是否能讓他這樣去思量："Why do they make good neighbors? Isn't it
好籬笆何以能促成好街坊？難道說Where there are cows? But here there are no cows.
這是養牛的地方？但這純粹是說謊。Before I built a wall I'd ask to know
以前修建這堵牆，我就該好好想一想What I was walling in or walling out,
我要把什麼東西來設防，And to whom I was like to give offense.
我是否有冒犯誰的地方。Something there is that doesn't love a wall,
有樣東西它的確不喜歡牆，That wants it down." I could say "Elves" to him,
就像妖鬼想讓它倒塌一樣，我這樣講。But it's not elves exactly, and I'd rather
但準確地說這不是妖鬼，我寧願He said it for himself. I see him there
他自己說出來是啥名堂。我見他Bringing a stone grasped firmly by the top
用雙手將石塊上端牢牢抓住不放，In each hand, like an old-stone savage armed.
就像石器時代武裝的野蠻人一樣。He moves in darkness as it seems to me,
我認爲他似乎已墜入黑暗感到迷茫，Not of woods only and the shade of trees.
這黑暗不只是來自樹林和樹的影像。He will not go behind his father's saying,
他不去琢磨父輩曾如何對他講，And he likes having thought of it so well
倒是認爲父輩所說的話非常棒，He says again, "Good fences make good neighbors."
他接着又說，“好籬笆會促成好街坊。”
