Vanity Of Life Poem by Luo Zhihai

★ Vanity Of Life
☆ by John Newton


The evils that beset our path
Who can prevent or cure?
We stand upon the brink of death
When most we seem secure.

If we today sweet peace possess,
It soon may be withdrawn;
Some change may plunge us in distress,
Before tomorrow's dawn.

Disease and pain invade our health
And find an easy prey;
And oft, when least expected, wealth
Takes wings and flies away.

A fever or a blow can shake
Our wisdom's boasted rule;
And of the brightest genius make
A madman or a fool.

The gourds, from which we look for fruit,
Produce us only pain;
A worm unseen attacks the root,
And all our hopes are vain.

I pity those who seek no more
Than such a world can give;
Wretched they are, and blind, and poor,
And dying while they live.

Since sin has filled the earth with woe,
And creatures fade and die;
Lord wean our hearts from things below,
And fix our hopes on high.


▲ Chinese Translation

★ 浮华人生

☆ [英] 约翰•牛顿 (1725 -1807) 诗
☆ [中] 罗志海 译


罪恶把我们的道路围绕
谁能预防或治疗？
我们大多数人看上去很安全
其实我们却站在死亡的边缘

如果我们今天拥有的和平甘甜
死亡很快就可以撤销
有些变化可能让我们遇险
在明天黎明之前

疾病和疼痛侵袭我们身心
要找到一个易受骗上当的人
那人常有暴富的要求
梦想展翅飞走

发烧气喘不能动摇
我们引以为傲的智慧规则管辖
最聪明的天才打造
疯子或傻瓜

我们寻找的水果——葫芦
仅只制造我们的疼痛
看不见的蠕虫攻击根部
我们所有的希望全落空

我同情那些人不寻求
这个世界多多赐予
可怜他们，瞎眼、贫穷、死去
当他们生活时

自从罪恶充满了多灾多难的地球
动物消失、死亡
耶和华使我们的心拒绝俯首低就
确保我们高高在上的希望


北京时间2015年2月14日翻译
Beijing time on February 14,2015, Translation