the river of life

the more we live, more brief appear
our life's succeeding stages;
a day to childhood seems a year,
and years like passing ages.

the gladsome current of our youth,
ere passion yet disorders,
steals lingering like a river smooth,
along its grassy borders.

but as the care-worn cheets grow wan,
and sorrow's shafts fly thicker,
ye stars, that measure life to man,
why seem your courses quicker?

when joys have lost their bloom and breath
and life itself is vapid,
why, as we reach the falls of death,
feel we its tide more rapid?

it may be strange-yet who would change
time's coures to slower speeding,
when one by one our friends have gone
and left our bosoms bleeding?

heaven gives our years of fading strength
indemnifying fleetness;
and those of youth,a seeming length,
proportion'd their sweetness.

人生越老，歲月越短，
生命的歷程似在飛換；
兒時的一天如同一載，
一載如同幾個朝代。

青春的熱情尚未衰退，
愉悅的流泉但覺遲遲，
有如一道草原中的綠溪，
靜悄悄的蜿蜒着流瀉。

但待頰上的紅霞退盡，
憂愁的徵箭越飛越頻，
星星呦星星，你們大小司命，
你們的運行爲何越來越迅？

當快感失去了花時和吸引，
生命本身有如一個空瓶，
當我快要臨到死境，
爲什麼退潮更加猛進？

怪誕呀，可能是怪誕——
誰要不想把日程放慢，
友人的謝世接二連三，
胸中的傷痛如荼如炭。

是天，使我們日漸衰竭的暮年
得到迅速消失的補償，
是天，使青年時代的快樂，
得到相應的貌似延長。