The Chimney Sweeper
扫烟囱的孩子
When my mother died I was very young,
我妈妈死时我年纪很小，
And my father sold me while yet my tongue
爸爸就把我送去卖掉；
Could scarcely cry 'weep 'weep, 'weep 'weep!
我连叫一声“哭啊，哭啊”也不会，
So your chimneys I sweep, and in soot I sleep.
你家烟囱我来扫，煤屑堆里我来睡。
There's little Tom Dacre, who cried when his head,
有个小汤姆·代克头发卷曲像羊毛，
That curled like a lamb's back, was shaved; so I said,
一剃头就要哭个哇哇叫；
'Hush Tom, never mind it, for when your head's bare,
我说：“汤姆，你别哭，不要紧，头一光，
You know that the soot cannot spoil your white hair.'
煤屑就不会再把你的白发弄脏。”
And so he was quiet, and that very night,
汤姆安静了，就在当天夜间，
As Tom was asleeping he had such a sight—
他睡着梦见奇迹出现；
That thousands of sweepers, Dick, Joe, Ned, and Jack,
阿狗阿猫上万个扫烟囱的小孩
Were all of them locked up in coffins of black;
都给锁进了黑漆漆的棺材。
And by came an angel, who had a bright key,
天使来了，手里的钥匙亮晃晃，
And he opened the coffins and set them all free;
他打开棺材，让他们个个解放;
Then down a green plain leaping, laughing they run,
他们奔下绿原，又跳又笑，
And wash in a river and shine in the sun.
下河洗澡，在阳光里闪耀。
Then naked and white, all their bags left behind,
赤裸的身子雪白，他们把袋子丢下，
They rise upon clouds and sport in the wind.
他们升上云端，在风里玩耍；
And the angel told Tom, if he'd be a good boy,
天使告诉汤姆，要是他乖乖听话，
He'd have God for his father and never want joy.
他就会一生快活，上帝做他爸爸。
And so Tom awoke, and we rose in the dark,
汤姆醒来，我们就摸黑起床，
And got with our bags and our brushes to work.
带着袋子刷子把工上。
Though the morning was cold, Tom was happy and warm;
早晨虽冷，汤姆又快乐又暖和；
So if all do their duty, they need not fear harm.
大家都尽本分就不怕灾祸。
作者简介
威廉·布莱克（William Blake，1757年11月28日—1827年8月12日），英国第一位重要的浪漫主义诗人、版画家，英国文学史上最重要的伟大诗人之一，虔诚的基督教徒。
