John Gould Fletcher - Lincoln 汉译

Which lifts its head above the mournful sandhills;

And patiently, through dull years of bitter silence,

Untended and uncared for, starts to grow.

Ungainly, laboring, huge,

The wind of the north has twisted and gnarled its branches;

Yet in the heat of mid-summer days, when thunder clouds

   ring the horizon,

A nation of men shall rest beneath its shade.

And it shall protect them all,

Hold everyone safe there, watching aloof in silence;

Until at last, one mad stray bolt from the zenith

Shall strike it in an instant down to earth.

林肯

约翰·古尔德·弗莱彻

有如一棵枝叶蓬乱的枯瘦松树

在悲凉的沙丘上抬起头来，

默默地熬过沉闷而辛酸的岁月，

虽得不到照料和关心，已开始成长。

模样粗拙、苦苦挣揣、形体巨大，

北风使它的枝干扭扭曲曲，长满了疙瘩；

可在仲夏的暑气里，当挟着风雷的云围拢在天际，

全国的人可以歇在它的树荫之下。

它会护住他们，使每个人在它荫下安然无恙，

而高高的它却默默地注视着远方；

直到最后，当空一个狂乱的霹雳，

竟霎时间把它劈倒在地。