W. B. Yeats - A Man Young and Old (V) 汉译

V. The Empty Cup

A crazy man that found a cup,

When all but dead of thirst,

Hardly dared to wet his mouth

Imagining, moon-accursed,

That another mouthful

And his beating heart would burst.

October last I found it too

But found it dry as bone,

And for that reason am I crazed

And my sleep is gone.

一个男人的青年和老年

五、空杯

威廉·巴特勒·叶芝

一个在快要渴死的时候

找到了一只杯子的疯人

几乎不敢湿润他的嘴唇，

想像着，受了月亮诅咒，

要是再有一小口，

他的跳动的心就会爆裂。

去年十月我也找到了它，

但是发现它干如枯骨，

由于这原因，我发了疯，

我的睡眠也随之逝去。