The River of Life
by thomas campbell
THE MORE we live, more brief appear
Our life"s succeeding stages；
A day to childhood seems a year,
And years like passing ages.

The gladsome current of our youth,
Ere passion yet disorders,
Steals lingering like a river smooth,
Along its grassy borders.
But as the care-worn cheets grow wan,
And sorrow"s shafts fly thicker,
Ye stars, that measure life to man,
Why seem your courses quicker？

Whenjoys have lost their bloom and breath
And life itself is vapid,
Why, as we reach the falls of death,
Feel we its tide more rapid？

It may be strange-yet who would change
Time"s coures to slower speeding,
When one by one our friends have gone
And left our bosoms bleeding？

Heaven gives our years of fading strength
Indemnifying fleetness；
And those of youth,a seeming length,
Proportion"d their sweetness.
譯文:
生命之川
妥默司·康沫爾
人生越老，歲月越短，
生命的歷程似在飛換；
兒時(shí)的一天如同一載，
一載如同幾個(gè)朝代。

青春的熱情尚未衰退，
愉悅的流泉但覺(jué)遲遲，
有如一道草原中的綠溪，
靜悄悄的蜿蜒著流瀉。

但待頰上的紅霞退盡，
憂(yōu)愁的征箭越飛越頻，
星星呦星星，你們大小司命，
你們的運(yùn)行為何越來(lái)越迅？

當(dāng)快感失去了花時(shí)和吸引，
生命本身有如一個(gè)空瓶，
當(dāng)我快要臨到死境，
為什么退潮更加猛進(jìn)？

怪誕呀，可能是怪誕——
誰(shuí)要不想把日程放慢，
友人的謝世接二連三，
胸中的傷痛如荼如炭。

是天，使我們?nèi)諠u衰竭的暮年
得到迅速消失的補(bǔ)償，
是天，使青年時(shí)代的快樂(lè)，
得到相應(yīng)的貌似延長(zhǎng)。