IN the morning I cast my net into the sea.
I dragged up from the dark abyss things of strange aspect and strange beauty—some shone like a smile, some glistened like tears, and some were flushed like the cheeks of a bride.
When with the day's burden I went home, my love was sitting in the garden idly tearing the leaves of a flower.
I hesitated for a moment, and then placed at her feet all that I had dragged up, and stood silent.
She glanced at them and said, “What strange things are these? I know not of what use they are!”
I bowed my head in shame and thought, “I have not fought for these, I did not buy them in the market; they are not fit gifts for her.”
Then the whole night through I flung them one by one into the street.
In the morning travellers came; they picked them up and carried them into far countries.
早晨我把網撒在海里。
我從沉黑的深淵拉出奇形奇美的東西——
有些微笑般地發(fā)亮,
有些眼淚般地閃光,
有的暈紅得像新娘的雙頰。
當我攜帶著這一天的擔負回到家里的時候,
我愛正坐在園里悠閑地扯著花葉。
我沉吟了一會兒,
就把我撈得的一切放在她的腳前,沉默地站著。
她瞥了一眼說:“這是些什么怪東西?
我不知道這些東西有什么用處!”
我羞愧得低了頭,心想:
“我并沒有為這些東西去奮斗,
也不是從市場里買來的;
這不是一些配送給她的禮物?!?/p>
整夜的工夫我把這些東西一件一件地丟到街上。
早晨行路的人來了;
他們把這些拾起帶到遠方去了。