Miniver Cheevy Poem by Luo Zhihai

★ Miniver Cheevy

☆ Poetry by Edwin Arlington Robinson


Miniver Cheevy, child of scorn,
Grew lean while he assailed the seasons;
He wept that he was ever born,
And he had reasons.

Miniver loved the days of old
When swords were bright and steeds were prancing;
The vision of the warrior bold
Would set him dancing.

Miniver sighed for what was not,
And dreamed, and rested from his labors;
He dreamed of Thebes and Camelot,
And Priam's neighbors.

Miniver mourned the ripe renown
That made so many a name so fragrant;
He mourned Romance, now on the town,
And Art, a vagrant.

Mininver loved the Medici,
Albeit he had never seen one;
He would have sinned incessantly
Could he have been one.

Miniver cursed the commonplace
And eyed a khaki suit with loathing;
He missed the medieval grace
Of iron clothing.

Miniver scorned the gold he sought,
But sore annoyed was he without it;
Miniver thought, and thought, and thought,
And thought about it.

Miniver Cheevy, born too late,
Scratched his head and kept on thinking;
Miniver coughed, and called it fate,
And kept on drinking.


▲ Chinese Translation

★ 米尼弗•契维

☆ [美国] 埃德温•阿灵顿•鲁滨孙 诗
☆ [中国] 罗志海 译


米尼弗•契维，轻蔑的孩子
他抨击季节，长得又高又瘦
他哭了，当他出生时
他有一大把理由

米尼弗喜爱，怀旧沉缅
战剑明亮，战马腾跃
武士勇敢，宽阔视野
有助于他，起舞翩翩

米尼弗叹息，什么都不是
梦想，劳动后休息
他梦见柯莱特，底比斯
和普里阿摩斯的邻居

米尼弗哀悼成熟的名望
这使得这么多的名字这么芬芳
现在，他在镇上哀悼浪漫
艺术和一个流浪汉

米尼弗爱梅第奇
虽然他从来没有见过梅第奇
他会不停地犯罪
难道他是一个梅第奇

米尼弗咒人司空见惯
看到卡其色西服讨厌
他错过了中世纪
优雅的铁甲战衣

米尼弗蔑视他寻找的黄金
但令人恼火痛苦的是他没有黄金
米尼弗想啊想，想了
又想黄金

米尼弗•契维，出生得太晚
继续思考，挠了挠头
米尼弗咳嗽一声，归之为命运所然
继续喝酒


北京时间2015年2月25日翻译
Beijing time on February 25,2015, Translation