弗罗斯特《一棵小桦树》

A Young Birch

By Robert Frost

The birch begins to crack its outer sheath

Of baby green and show the white beneath,

As whosoever likes the young and slight

May well have noticed. Soon entirely white

To double day and cut in half the dark

It will stand forth, entirely white in bark,

And nothing but the top of leafy green—

The only native tree that dares to lean,

Relying on its beauty, to the air,

(Less brave perhaps than trusting are the air.),

And someone reminiscent will recall

How once in cutting brush along the wall

He spared it from the number of the slain,

At first to be no bigger than a cane,

And then no bigger than a fishing pole,

But now at last so obvious a bole

The most efficient help you ever hired

Would know that it was there to be admired,

And zeal would not be thanked that cut it down

When you were reading books or out of town.

It was a thing of beauty and was sent

To live its life out as an ornament.

一棵小桦树

（美）罗伯特·弗罗斯特 敬笃||译

白桦树开始剥落它绿色的外壳，

露出下面的白色，

因为任何人喜欢年轻，那轻微的变化

可能已经注意到了，很快就完全变白了

把白天加倍，让黑暗减半

树皮的白色，裸露在外

除了那绿色的树梢——

这是唯一敢于倾斜的本地树，

依靠它的美丽，伸向空中，

（也许比信任更缺乏勇气）

有人会回忆起

在一次清除墙边灌木的行动中

它是如何在众多被砍伐的树木中幸免于难

起初，它还没有手杖大；

后来，比鱼竿还小

但现在终于成长为一棵明显的树

你所得到的最有效的帮助

会知道它是值得羡慕的树，

砍伐的热忱不会被感谢

当你读书或者出门时。

它作为一件美丽的礼物，被馈赠

把它作为装饰来度过它的生命。