That civilisation may not sink,
Its great battle lost,
Quiet the dog, tether the pony
To a distant post;
Our master Caesar is in the tent
Where the maps are spread,
His eyes fixed upon nothing,
A hand under his head.
Like a long-legged fly upon the stream
His mind moves upon silence.
That the topless towers be burnt
And men recall that face,
Move most gently if move you must
In this lonely place.
She thinks, part woman, three parts a child,
That nobody looks;her feet
Practise a tinker shuffle
Picked up on a street.
Like a long-legged fly upon the stream
Her mind moves upon silence.
That girls at puberty may find
The first Adam in their thought,
Shut the door of the Pope's chapel,
Keep those children out.
There on that scaffolding reclines
Michael Angelo.
With no more sound than the mice make
His hand moves to and fro.
Like a long-legged fly upon the stream
His mind moves upon silence.
為使重大戰(zhàn)役不致受挫,
為使文明不致沉落,
讓狗兒靜下來吧,把戰(zhàn)馬
遠遠地拴在柱上,
主將愷撒在他的營帳里,
在攤開的一幅幅地圖前面,
雙眼茫然,
單手支頤。
如一只長腳青蛉在溪水上盤桓,
他的思緒在寂靜中浮游。
為使人們永記她的美貌,
焚毀高聳的塔堡,
在這個寂靜的地方
你一定要躡足行走。
尚未成年的海倫
正笨拙地初試街上學來的舞步,
以為沒人看到。
如一只長腳青蛉在溪水上盤桓,
她的思緒在寂靜中浮游。
為了讓懷春的少女
能幻想第一位心中的亞當,
請關上教堂的大門,
莫讓孩子們進來。
大門里的腳手架上
米開朗琪羅正仰躺著,
揮腕輕如鼠爪,
只弄出靜靜的聲響。
如一只長腳青蛉在溪水上盤桓,
她的思緒在寂靜中浮游。