66 THE CHIMNEY SWEEPER (1)

William Blake

　

　　When my mother died I was very young,

　　And my father sold me while yet my tongue

　　Could scarcely cry"weep weep weep weep!"

　　So your chimneys I sweep and in soot I sleep.

　　　

　　There's little Tom Dacre, who cried when his head

　　That curl' d like a lambs back, was shav' d, so I said,

　　"Hush, Tom never mind it, for when your head' s bare,

　　You know that the soot cannot spoil your white hair."

　　　

　　And so he was quiet, and that very night,

　　As Tom was a sleeping, he had such a sight,

　　That thousands of sweepers Dick, Joe, Ned and Jack

　　Were all of them lock' d up in coffins of black,

　　　

　　And by came an Angel who had a bright key,

　　And he open' d the coffins and set them all free.

　　Then down a green plain leaping laughing they run

　　And wash in a river and shine in the Sun.

　　　

　　Then naked and white, all their bags left behind,

　　They rise upon clouds, and sport in the wind.

　　And the Angel told Tom if he'd be a good boy,

　　He'd have God for his father and never want joy.

　　　

　　And so Tom awoke and we rose in the dark

　　And got with our bags and our brushes to work.

　　Tho' the morning was cold, Tom was happy and warm,

　　So if all do their duty, they need not fear harm.

　

六十六 扫烟囱的小孩（一）

　

威廉·布莱克

　

　　我妈妈死的时候，我还挺小，

　　我爸爸卖了我，那时候我几乎不会叫，

　　不会叫"扫烟，扫烟，扫烟啊，扫！"

　　我现在扫你们烟囱，在灰堆里睡觉。

　　　

　　有个小汤姆·达克，鬈头发，像羊毛，

　　把他的头发剃掉的时候，他哭叫。

　　我说，"汤姆，别叫唤，你的头剃光了，

　　煤灰就不能把你的银发弄脏了。"

　　　

　　他安静下来，就在那天晚上，

　　汤姆睡着了，见到了这样的景象：

　　狄克，乔，奈德，贾克……千万个

　　扫烟囱小孩关进了黑棺材，加了锁，

　　　

　　来了位天使，拿着把发光的钥匙，

　　他打开棺材，放出了所有的孩子。

　　他们到草地上，又跳又跑又笑嚷，

　　 到河里洗了澡，太阳下浑身闪亮光。

　　　

　　光身子，白皮肤，把口袋全都扔下，

　　孩子们升到云头，在风里玩耍。

　　天使说，"你只要做个好孩子，汤姆，

　　上帝就做你的父亲，你永远幸福。"

　　　

　　汤姆醒了，我们起身在黑暗中，

　　拿起口袋，拿起扫帚去上工。

　　早上冷，汤姆却感到温暖又快乐，

　　有道是，只要尽本分，不必怕灾祸。

　　　

屠 岸译