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为什么老年人不该癫狂？

Why should not Old Men be Mad?

《为什么老年人不该癫狂？》

—— by W.B. Yeats

Why should not old men be mad?

为什么老年人不该癫狂？

Some have known a likely lad

有人知道一个好样的少年郎，

That had a sound fly-fisher's wrist

他有好手腕善于捕蝇，

Turn to a drunken journalist;

变成了一个酗酒的暴人；

A girl that knew all Dante once

一个读过但丁全集的姑娘，

Live to bear children to a dunce;

活下来为一个笨伯把儿女养；

A Helen of social welfare dream,

海伦怀着社会福利的梦想，

Climb on a wagonette to scream.

爬上一个小篷车尖声叫嚷。

Some think it a matter of course that chance

有人认为这是理所当然，

Should starve good men and bad advance,

机会使好人饿死，坏人升迁，

That if their neighbours figured plain,

如果他们邻居们扮相平常，

As though upon a lighted screen,

就像在一个明亮的幕布上，

No single story would they find

他们会发现一个完整快乐的心

Of an unbroken happy mind,

并没有什么故事可听，

A finish worthy of the start.

它的结局与开场相称。

Young men know nothing of this sort,

年轻人不了解这些事情，

Observant old men know it well;

留心世事的老年人却很熟谙；

And when they know what old books tell,

当他们知道古籍讲的道理，

And that no better can be had,

没有更好的下场，

Know why an old man should be mad.

就明白老年人为何该癫狂。