Diary Of A Church Mouse
by John Betjeman
Here among long-discarded cassocks,
在丢弃了很久的长袍之上
Damp stools, and half-split open hassocks,
潮湿的高脚凳，半撕开的垫子
Here where the Vicar never looks
牧师不屑的地方
I nibble through old service books.
我埋身于古老的书籍
Lean and alone I spend my days
我独自斜靠地度过了一天
Behind this Church of England baize.
在这座英国粗呢的教堂里
I share my dark forgotten room
我同两台油灯和一把破扫把
With two oil-lamps and half a broom.
呆在黑暗无人知晓的房间
The cleaner never bothers me,
清洁工不会打扰我
So here I eat my frugal tea.
在这里我喝着我的素茶
My bread is sawdust mixed with straw;
我的面包混着木屑
My jam is polish for the floor.
我的果酱洗刷了地板
Christmas and Easter may be feasts
可能都够圣诞与复活节了
For congregations and for priests,
为了聚会和祈祷
And so may Whitsun. All the same,
还有降灵节，一个样
They do not fill my meagre frame.
他们满足不了我微小的需求
For me the only feast at all
对于我唯一的节日
Is Autumn's Harvest Festival,
是秋收日
When I can satisfy my want
当我能够得我所需
With ears of corn around the font.
有玉米稞点缀字体
I climb the eagle's brazen head
我爬过老鹰黄铜色的头
To burrow through a loaf of bread.
为了探寻一根面包
I scramble up the pulpit stair
我蹒跚通过台阶登上讲坛
And gnaw the marrows hanging there.
咀嚼挂在那里的骨髓
It is enjoyable to taste
相当享受的一道品尝
These items ere they go to waste,
这些都是他们很快就舍弃的
But how annoying when one finds
那些心胸狭隘的老鼠
That other mice with pagan minds
又多么恼怒有人发现
Come into church my food to share
那些没有正当工作的人
Who have no proper business there.
来到教堂一同我飨用
Two field mice who have no desire
两只没有洗礼欲望的野生老鼠
To be baptized, invade the choir.
闯进了唱诗班
A large and most unfriendly rat
一只庞大无教养的老鼠
Comes in to see what we are at.
粗鲁地观看我们
He says he thinks there is no God
他说这里没有上帝
And yet he comes...it's rather odd.
但奇怪的是他依然来了
This year he stole a sheaf of wheat
今年它偷走了一捆小麦
(It screened our special preacher's seat),
掩蔽了我们牧师专有的位子
And prosperous mice from fields away
一群兴旺野生的老鼠
Come in to hear the organ play,
为了听到肉体盛宴
And under cover of its notes
在笔记的背后
Ate through the altar's sheaf of oats.
吃掉了祭坛的一捆燕麦
A Low Church mouse, who thinks that I
一个底端的教堂老鼠
Am too papistical, and High,
认为我太天主教又自视甚高
Yet somehow doesn't think it wrong
某种程度来讲是对的
To munch through Harvest Evensong,
在我饥饿了一整年
While I, who starve the whole year through,
大声地咀嚼着晚祷的丰宴
Must share my food with rodents who
除了今年这个时候
Except at this time of the year
我不能把我的食物和老鼠一起享用
Not once inside the church appear.
没有一个出现在教堂里
Within the human world I know
在我所知道的人类世界里
Such goings-on could not be so,
不应该有这样的进展
For human beings only do
只有人类做得到
What their religion tells them to.
他们的信仰告诉了他们这样做
They read the Bible every day
他们每一天读圣经
And always, night and morning, pray,
不管白天黑夜总是在祈祷
And just like me, the good church mouse,
好比我，一只教堂里的好老鼠
Worship each week in God's own house,
每周在上帝自家的房子膜拜
But all the same it's strange to me
但依然很困扰我
How very full the church can be
教堂能容下很多的人
With people I don't see at all
但我几乎看不到
Except at Harvest Festival.
除了收获节
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