电脑里面有这样一首歌，听过多次。今天脑子突然有用了，想起来叶芝的一首诗，有点触动。那是翻到旧书一本，外国爱情诗歌选编，译者现在看来都是大名，而当时未必。编者之一是隔壁文学室的老编辑诗人宫老师，他很有意思，问我最近是否看了《骑兵军》，也问是否看过苏雪林写的作家论。

诗人。昨天去丁家吃饺子，丁老讲到现在写诗的人比读诗的人还多。我想到一个题目《诗歌：写的人比读的人多》。却是怎么写呢。

中英文的版本，对比一下。


         当你老了

           叶芝

当你老了，白发苍苍，睡思昏沉，

在炉火旁打盹，请取下这部诗歌，

慢慢读，回想你过去眼神的柔和，

回想它们过去的浓重的阴影；

                            

多少人爱你年轻欢畅的时候，　　                    

出于假意或真心地爱慕你的美貌，　　                   

只有一个人爱你那朝圣者的灵魂，　　                  

爱你老去的容颜的痛苦的皱纹。

　　                 

躬身在红光闪耀的炉火旁，　　                 

凄然地低语，爱为何消逝，　　                 

在头顶的山上，它缓缓踱着步子，　　                 

将脸隐没在群星之中。


When You Are Old

William Butler Yeats
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When you are old and grey and full of sleep,
And nodding by the fire, take down this book,
And slowly read, and dream of the soft look
Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep;

How many loved your moments of glad grace,
And loved your beauty with love false or true,
But one man loved the pilgrim Soul in you,
And loved the sorrows of your changing face;

And bending down beside the glowing bars,
Murmur, a little sadly, how Love fled
And paced upon the mountains overhead
And hid his face amid a crowd of stars.


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