'T was on a May day of the far old year

Seventeen hundred eighty，that there fell

Over the bloom and sweet life of the Spring，

Over the fresh earth and the heaven of noon，

A horror of great darkness，like the night

In day of which the Norland sagas tell，

The Twilight of the Gods.

The low-hung sky

Was black with ominous clouds，save where its rim

Was fringed with a dull glow，like that which climbs

The crater's sides from the red hell below.

Birds ceased to sing，and all the barnyard fowls

Roosted；the cattle at the pasture bars

Lowed，and looked homeward；bats on leathern wings

Flitted abroad；the sounds of labor died；

Men prayed，and women wept；all ears grew sharp

To hear the doom blast of the trumpet shatter

The black sky，that the dreadful face of Christ

Might look from the rent clouds，not as he looked

A loving guest at Bethany，but stern

As Justice and inexorable Law.

Meanwhile in the old Statehouse，dim as ghosts，

Sat the lawgivers of Connecticut，

Trembling beneath their legislative robes.

“It is the Lord's Great Day！Let us adjourn，”

Some said；and then，as if with one accord，

All eyes were turned to Abraham Davenport.

He rose，slow-cleaving with his steady voice

The intolerable hush.“This well may be

The Day of Judgment which the world awaits；

But be it so or not，I only know

My present duty，and my Lord's command

To occupy till he come.So at the post

Where he bath set me in his providence，

I choose，for one，to meet him face to face，

No faithless servant frightened from my task，

But ready when the Lord of the harvest calls；

And therefore，with all reverence，I would say，

Let God do his work，we will see to ours.

Bring in the candles.”And they brought them in.

Then by the flaring lights the Speaker read，

Albeit with husky voice and shaking hands，

An act to amend an act to regulate

The shad and alewive fisheries.Whereupon，

Wisely and well spake Abraham Davenport，

Straight to the question，with no figures of speech

Save the ten Arab signs，yet not without

The shrewd，dry humor natural to the man:

His awe-struck colleagues listening all the while，

Between the pauses of his argument，

To hear the thunder of the wrath of God

Break from the hollow trumpet of the cloud.

And there he stands in memory to this day，

Erect，self-poised，a rugged face，half seen

Against the background of unnatural dark，

A witness to the ages as they pass，

That simple duty hath no place for fear.

譯文　TRANSLATION

在那遙遠往昔——

1780年5月的某天，

一片駭人的巨大的黑暗

覆蓋了春日的甜美與繁花

覆蓋了清新的大地和正午的天空

恰似北國傳奇中

那白晝的深夜、諸神的黃昏。

低垂的天空

滿是不祥的烏云，

在云的邊緣鑲著黯淡的光，

像從殷紅的地獄坑凹里爬出。

鳥兒停止了歌唱，場院里的雞都躲進窩里，

欄邊的牛群望著它們的家，在“哞哞”低叫；

蝙蝠張著翅膀飛遠；勞作的聲音歸于死寂；

男人在祈禱，女人在哭泣；大家都在諦聽

喇叭宿命的爆響震碎墨色的天空，耶穌的圣容

出現(xiàn)在云間，他是那般肅穆，

全不似在貝瑟妮看到親愛的摯友，

而是冷峻如正義，嚴(yán)苛似律法。

這時，在古舊的議會大廈，幽暗如鬼魂，

坐著康涅狄克州的立法者們，

他們的身軀在法袍下戰(zhàn)果。

“這是上帝的偉大時辰！且讓我們暫時休庭”，

有人如是說。話音未落，眾人把目光一起

投向亞伯拉罕·達文波特。

只見他起身，以沉穩(wěn)的聲音打破難忍的沉默，

“今天也許就是世人等待的‘審判日’；

無論是抑或不是，我只知自己現(xiàn)下的責(zé)任

和我主之命——在他所許的位置上，靜立、等待他的蒞臨。

我愿面對面與他相會——不忠的仆人將因這一任務(wù)而膽寒。

當(dāng)收獲之神呼喚我，我已準(zhǔn)備好；于是，滿帶著敬畏，我說，

讓上帝的工作歸于上帝，而我們將檢視我們自己的成果。

請把蠟燭拿進，”隨之，他們將蠟燭拿進。

大法官就著明亮的燭光宣讀鯡魚捕撈規(guī)定的修正案，

倘若聲音不那么枯澀、手不那樣抖，多好！

對此，亞伯拉罕·達文波特有精辟的講說，

切中要害，既不搬弄辭藻，也不煩瑣論證，

而有著練達、出自天性的幽默。

他充滿敬畏的同事凝神傾聽，

在他論證的間隙，仿佛聽到

上帝憤怒的雷霆，從云的號角中噴薄而出。

直到今天他仍屹立于記憶中，

挺拔、超然；在不自然的陰暗的背景烘托下，

嶙峋的面龐若明若暗。

宛如歲月的見證——簡單的職責(zé)沒有疑懼的位置。