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.
早晨我把网撒在海里。
我从沉黑的深渊拉出奇形奇美的东西——
有些微笑般地发亮,
有些眼泪般地闪光,
有的晕红得像新娘的双颊。
当我携带着这一天的担负回到家里的时候,
我爱正坐在园里悠闲地扯着花叶。
我沉吟了一会儿,
就把我捞得的一切放在她的脚前,沉默地站着。
她瞥了一眼说:“这是些什么怪东西?
我不知道这些东西有什么用处!”
我羞愧得低了头,心想:
“我并没有为这些东西去奋斗,
也不是从市场里买来的;
这不是一些配送给她的礼物。”
整夜的工夫我把这些东西一件一件地丢到街上。
早晨行路的人来了;
他们把这些拾起带到远方去了。