【配乐朗诵】孟郊：游子吟（英文版）
从前少不更事，读孟郊《游子吟》，感觉平淡无奇，不足称道。
如今年事渐长，捧卷再读，觉得这真是一首好诗，好得不得了。清人贺裳《载酒园诗话》认为《游子吟》堪称“全唐第一”，当之无愧。
“临行密密缝，意恐迟迟归。”母亲担心孩子在外吹风受凉，而且长年累月不回家，衣服容易破损，所以缝了一针又一针。没有华丽的词语，平凡得不能再平凡的日常生活场景，无声又无息，却是“此时无声胜有声”，母爱之深沉伟大，十个字就说完了。吟哦再三，令人潸然泪下。
人类历史，历经狩猎文明、农业文明、工业文明、信息文明时代，沧海桑田，天翻地覆，惟有母爱，超越时代，恒久不变。这就是伟大的人性，以及人性的伟大。优秀的文学作品，无需堆砌辞藻，无需修饰华丽，寥寥数语，朴实本真，击中人心，展现人性，即为不朽。
《游子吟》在国内千古传诵，在海外也是流传甚远，英文译本众多。我个人比较喜欢Witter Bynner的译文，所以特此向大家推荐。
祝天下母亲节日愉快！
徐强，2017年母亲节凌晨，于贵港求知斋。
书法《游子吟》。（本文图片均为网络资料图片）
孟郊《游子吟》
慈母手中线，游子身上衣。
临行密密缝，意恐迟迟归。
谁言寸草心，报得三春晖。
A traveler’s Song
The thread in the hands of a fond-hearted mother，
Makes clothes for the body of her wayward boy；
Carefully she sews and thoroughly she mends，
Dreading the delays that will keep him late from home.
But how much love has the inch-long grass
For three spring months of the light of the sun？
（Witter Bynner 译）
《游子吟》英译举要
For Her Son Who’ll Be Away for a While
Needle and thread in doting mother’s hand
Turn out garments for her son out to roam the land.
She puts in more stitches e’en as he leaves
And frets that his homecoming may be moved back.
Who says the tiny inch-tall blade of grass
Can e’er repay the warm sunshine of spring？
（龚景浩 译）
The Wandering Son’s Song
The thread from my dear mother’s hand
Was sewn in the clothes of her wandering son.
For fear of my belated return，
Before my leave they were closely woven.
Who says mine heart like a blade of grass
Could repay her love’s gentle beams of spring sun？
（孙大雨 译）
Chant of a Roaming Son
The thread in the mother’s hand，
The clothes worn by the wanderlust son.
The nearer the departure，
The closer the stitches sown，
Lest his return be further postponed.
Who said the grass blade of a heart
Could repay the glory of the late spring sun？
（任治稷 余正 译）
A Journeyer’s Song
Through a kind mother’s hands passed the thread
That made the clothes I journeying wear.
Tightly tightly she wove them then，
Dreading year after year of no return.
Can the young grass ever repay
The spring sun’s kindly rays？
（张廷琛 魏博思 译）
Song of the Parting Son
From the threads a mother’s hands weaves,
A gown for parting son is made.
Sown stitch by stitch before he leaves，
For fear his return be delayed.
Such kindness as young grass receives
From the warm sun can’t be repaid.
（许渊冲 译）
A Roamer’s Song
My benevolent mother —
With thread and needle in hand，
Mends the garment I have on，
Ere I leave my native land.
More stitches，ere I take leave，
To hold the seams firm and fast.
As itinerant worker，
To come home I’d be the last.
With what can I repay Ma？
Whatever others may say，
For what she has done for me，
Her, I can never repay.
（徐忠杰 译）
Song of a Song Travelling to Far Afield
Cotton threads in the fond mother’s hand were stitched
Into clothes on the body of her son who was travelling for afield.
She sewed and sewed with close stitches on his departure
For fear that he might come back late.
How can the heart of a son like a tiny grass requite
The infinite love of his mother，
Which is as warm as the sunshine in spring late!
（唐一鹤 译）
Chant of the Rover
In loving Mother’s hand a thread keeps shuttling，
To mend a travelling suit for thee who’re parting.
O why doth she with stitches small，small sew？
For fear be thou away so song, long on th’ rove！
Say not a pretty grass-blade grateful, can possibly repay
Spring sunshine’s nursing unfailing — throughout its suckling days！
（刘国善 王治江 徐树娟等 译）
Wanderer’s Song
The thread from a fond mother’s hand
Is now in the jacket of her absent son.
As his departure came near, closer and closer was the stitching.
Her mind fearing that his return would be delayed and delayed.
Who says that the heart of an inch-long plant
Can requite the radiance of full Spring？
（Robert Kotewell & Norman Smith 译）
A Song of the Travelling Son
A thread in a mother's loving hand，
Makes up the clothes for her travelling son.
Knitting all her affection into every stitch，
She's worrying he'd be away for too long.
-- How could the grateful humble grass
Ever repay the kindness of the generous sun？
（Crimethink 译）
The Song of the Wandering Son
In tender mother’s hands the thread
Made clothes to grab her parting son.
Before he left，how hard she spun.
How diligently wove，in dread
Ere he return long years might run！
Such life-long mother’s love how may
One simple little heart repay？
（W.J.B.Fletcher 译）
Sung to the Air：“the Wanderer”
Thread from the hands of a doting mother，
Worked into the clothes of a far-off journeying son.
Before his departure，were the close，fine stitches set，
Lest haply his return be long delayed.
The heart-the inch-long grass-
Who will contend that either can repay
The gentle brightness of the Third Month of Spring.
（Amy Lowell 译）
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