双语美文｜The Chimney-sweeper

The Chimney-sweeper

扫烟囱的孩子

When my mother died I was very young,

我母亲死的时候我还很小，

And my father sold me while yet my tongue

我父亲就卖了我，那时我还不会叫，

Could scarcely cry 'Weep! weep! weep! weep!'

简直没有一声哭哭啼啼，

So your chimneys I sweep, and in soot I sleep.

就这样扫你的烟囱、睡在煤灰堆里。

There's little Tom Dacre, who cried when his head,

有个小汤姆·戴克他的鬈发像羊羔，

That curled like a lamb's back, was shaved; so I said,

给他剃头时他哭声号啕，

'Hush, Tom! never mind it, for, when your head's bare,

我就说汤姆你别吵，别在乎头剃光，

You know that the soot cannot spoil your white hair.'

你要知道煤灰就不会再把你银发弄脏。

And so he was quiet, and that very night,

于是他安静下来，就在那天夜间，

As Tom was a-sleeping, he had such a sight!—

汤姆正在睡觉，他居然看见

That thousands of sweepers, Dick, Joe, Ned, and Jack,

成千上万的扫烟囱小孩狄克、乔、奈德和贾克

Were all of them locked up in coffins of black.

都被关进了漆黑的棺材里，还上了锁，

And by came an angel, who had a bright key,

这时来了个天使拿着一把亮亮的钥匙，

And he opened the coffins, and set them all free;

他把棺材打开、把他们全都开释

Then down a green plain, leaping, laughing, they run

然后他们跑下绿绿的平原欢蹦乱跳，

And wash in a river, and shine in the sun.

在河里洗澡、在阳光里闪耀。

Then naked and white, all their bags left behind,

赤条条的洗得白白，他们把口袋留下，

They rise upon clouds, and sport in the wind:

升上了云端，在风中戏耍。

And the angel told Tom, if he'd be a good boy,

天使告诉汤姆，如桌他做个乖小孩，

He'd have God for his father, and never want joy.

上帝就会做他的父亲，永远乐开怀。

And so Tom awoke, and we rose in the dark,

汤姆醒来了，我们就摸黑起身，

And got with our bags and our brushes to work.

拿着我们的口袋和刷子去上工。

Though the morning was cold, Tom was happy and warm:

尽管早晨挺冷，汤姆却暖和又开心。

So, if all do their duty, they need not fear harm.

大家都尽本分，他们无需怕灾祸降临。