【诗赏】惠特曼《草叶集》24

Poets to Come

Poets to come! orators, singers, musiciansto come!

Not to-day is to justify me and answer whatI am for,

But you, a new brood, native, athletic,continental, greater than

before known,

Arouse! for you must justify me.

I myself but write one or two indicativewords for the future,

I but advance a moment only to wheel andhurry back in the darkness.

I am a man who, sauntering along withoutfully stopping, turns a

casual look upon you and then averts hisface,

Leaving it to you to prove and define it,

Expecting the main things from you.

未来的诗人们

未来的诗人们哟！未来的演说家，歌唱家，音乐家哟！

今天不能给我以公正的评价，也不能解答我存在的意义是什么，

可是你们，土生的、强力的、大陆的、空前伟大的新的一群，

起来呀！因为你们心须给我以公正的评价。

我自己将只写下一二指示着将来的字，

我将只露面片刻，便转身急忙退到黑暗中去。

我好比是一个不停地漫步着的人，偶然向你们

看一眼，立刻又转过脸去，

一切留下让你们去证明，让你们去解释，

对一切主要的东西，把希望寄托在你们身上。