在我母亲的两幅肖像前

Emile Nelligan

我深爱着多年前的这幅肖像里

I love the beautiful young girl of this

那年轻貌美的姑娘，她是我的母亲

portrait,my mother,painted years ago

那时，她前额皎白，她那闪耀着七彩光芒的眼睛

when her forehead was White, and there was no

没有一丝黯然。但她的另一幅肖像则显出

shadow in the dazzling Venetian glass

那一道道深深的纹路爬过她白晳

of her gaze．But this other likeness shows

如大理石的前额。她年少时那首玫瑰诗篇

the deep trenches across her foreheads white

曾被她的婚姻所吟唱，而今已远去。我的悲伤

marble. The rose poem of her youth that

就在于：我对比两幅肖像，一幅

her marriage sang is far behind. Here is

神情愉悦，另一幅忧心

my sadness: I compare these portraits, one

忡忡：一幅宛如旭日初升———另一幅则如夜里重重黑暗

of a joy-radiant brow,the other careheavy: sunrise--and

来袭。然而我的看法多么奇怪，

the thick coming on of night. And yet how strange my ways appear,

当我看着那失去光泽的双唇时，我的心

for when I look at these faded lips my heart

在微笑，但面对那含笑如花的少女时，我却潸然泪下。

smiles, but at the smiling girl my tears start.