无希望的工作 Work without Hope

 　　Work without Hopeby Samuel Taylor ColeridgeAll Nature seems at work. Slugs leave their lair—The bees are stirring—birds are on the wing—And winter slumbering¹ in the open air,Wears on his smiling face a dream of Spring!

　　And I the while, the sole unbusy thing,Nor honey make, nor pair, nor build, nor sing.

　　自然万物似乎都在劳作。蛞蝓已离穴——蜜蜂在骚动——鸟儿在飞翔——而冬天仍在外沉睡，梦想着春日，一脸甜笑！

　　而这会儿，我是唯一一个空闲之物，不酿蜜，不成对，不建造，也不歌唱。

　　Yet well I ken² the banks where amaranths blow,Have traced the forest whence streams of nectar flow.

　　Bloom, O ye amaranths! Bloom for whom ye may,For me ye bloom not! Glide³, rich streams, away!

　　With lips unbrightened, wreathless brow, I stroll:

　　And would you learn the spells that drowse my soul?

　　Work without Hope draws nectar in a sieve,And Hope without an object cannot live.

　　然而，噢，我认出了摇曳着不凋花的两岸，我走过那林子，甘美的小溪流淌其中。

　　盛开吧，噢，你们这些不凋花！为那溪流盛开，非为我盛开！盈溢的溪水溜走了！

　　我四处徘徊，唇色暗淡，平庸无奇：

　　你能了解那些催眠我灵魂的咒语吗？

　　无希望的工作就如用筛网盛琼浆，无目标的希望无法长存。

1 slumbering   

微睡，睡眠（slumber的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• It was quiet. All the other inhabitants of the slums were slumbering. 贫民窟里的人已经睡眠静了。
• Then soft music filled the air and soothed the slumbering heroes. 接着，空中响起了柔和的乐声，抚慰着安睡的英雄。

2 ken   

n.视野，知识领域

参考例句：

• Such things are beyond my ken.我可不懂这些事。
• Abstract words are beyond the ken of children.抽象的言辞超出小孩所理解的范围.

3 glide   

n./v.溜，滑行；(时间)消逝

参考例句：

• We stood in silence watching the snake glide effortlessly.我们噤若寒蝉地站着，眼看那条蛇逍遥自在地游来游去。
• So graceful was the ballerina that she just seemed to glide.那芭蕾舞女演员翩跹起舞，宛如滑翔。