W. B. Yeats - Brown Penny 汉译

I whispered, “I am too young,”

And then, “I am old enough”;

Wherefore I threw a penny

To find out if I might love.

“Go and love, go and love, young man,

If the lady be young and fair.”

Ah, penny, brown penny, brown penny,

I am looped in the loops of her hair.

O love is the crooked thing,

There is nobody wise enough

To find out all that is in it,

For he would be thinking of love

Till the stars had run away

And the shadows eaten the moon.

Ah, penny, brown penny, brown penny,

One cannot begin it too soon.

铜便士

威廉·巴特勒·叶芝

我喃喃自语：“我已太年轻，”

转念又一想：“我已不算小”；

为此我抛起一枚便士

占卜恋爱是否还嫌早。

“去爱，去爱，小伙子，

啊，便士，铜便士，铜便士，

我陷入了她的卷发的圈套。

那便士对着我的脸唱起来：

“没有谁足够聪明

能窥透其中的奥秘，

因为那陷入她卷发圈套的人

将把爱情苦苦思寻，

直到时光的线圈缠尽了。”

啊，便士，铜便士，铜便士，

开始恋爱从来都不嫌早。