Chapter 10 to william shelley
to william shelley
1
The waves on the beach dance around it,
This masted ship is not strong;
The sea is dark, and the clouds that lock it
A storm looms eerie.
Come with me, boy, come with me,
Though the waves of the sea are surging;
The wind is about to blow, we can't stay,
Otherwise, the servants of the law will take you away.
2
They took your two brothers and sisters,
so that they cannot be with you;
That tears, that smile, so dear to me,
From then on it will wither and wither.
When they were young, they were bound as slaves,
Faith handed over to the victim, a hotbed of crime;
They will curse you and me endlessly,
Because, oh, we are fearless and free.
3
Come on, dear boy, you will
Bring joy to your mother,
For in her anxious heart,
Another one is sleeping,
She will love to see you smile
To our own, your fellow man,
In that far foreign land, it will be
Your closest companion in the game.
4
Don't be afraid that the tyrant's reign will never end,
Fear not the heretic priest;
They are standing by the roaring river,
Dyed the river red with bloodshed.
Rolling waves rise from thousands of valleys,
Facing them surging, surging, furious;
Their swords and their wats shall be washed away,
Floating like a wreck in the bottom of eternity.
5
Rest, sweet child, don't cry!
You are afraid of the rocking of the boat,
The howling of the storm, the cold waves?
Here, sitting among us,--
me, and your mother - we know
This storm that makes you tremble so,
Though it opens its black mouth to swallow,
Not as terrible as those savage servants:
It is they who force us to make waves our home.
6
This moment will be forever
remain in your memory,
We will be accompanied by the blue sea,
In peaceful, golden Italy,
Or Greece, the birthplace of freedom.
I will teach you a weak tongue
in the words of the ancient heroes themselves
Talked to them and shuttled around Greece
In the flames, let your young heart grow,
So you can, in their splendor,
Say you were born in the Land of Patriots!
1817
Translated by Cha Liangzheng