经典诗歌欣赏：A Roxbury Garden(2)

　　II

　　Battledore and Shuttlecock

　　The shuttlecock soars upward

　　In a parabola of whiteness,

　　Turns,

　　And sinks to a perfect arc.

学习啦在线学习网 　　Plat! the battledore strikes it,

　　And it rises again,

学习啦在线学习网 　　Without haste,

　　Winged and curving,

学习啦在线学习网 　　Tracing its white flight

　　Against the clipped hemlock-trees.

　　Plat!

　　Up again,

学习啦在线学习网 　　Orange and sparkling with sun,

　　Rounding under the blue sky,

学习啦在线学习网 　　Dropping,

　　Fading to grey-green

学习啦在线学习网 　　In the shadow of the coned hemlocks.

　　"Ninety-one." "Ninety-two." "Ninety-three."

　　The arms of the little girls

　　Come up -- and up --

　　Precisely,

　　Like mechanical toys.

　　The battledores beat at nothing,

学习啦在线学习网 　　And toss the dazzle of snow

学习啦在线学习网 　　Off their parchment drums.

学习啦在线学习网 　　"Ninety-four." Plat!

学习啦在线学习网 　　"Ninety-five." Plat!

学习啦在线学习网 　　Back and forth

　　Goes the shuttlecock,

　　Icicle-white,

　　Leaping at the sharp-edged clouds,

　　Overturning,

学习啦在线学习网 　　Falling,

　　Down,

　　And down,

　　Tinctured with pink

　　From the upthrusting shine

　　Of Oriental poppies.

学习啦在线学习网 　　The little girls sway to the counting rhythm;

　　Left foot,

学习啦在线学习网 　　Right foot.

　　Plat! Plat!

　　Yellow heat twines round the handles of the battledores,

　　The parchment cracks with dryness;

学习啦在线学习网 　　But the shuttlecock

　　Swings slowly into the ice-blue sky,

　　Heaving up on the warm air

　　Like a foam-bubble on a wave,

　　With feathers slanted and sustaining.

　　Higher,

学习啦在线学习网 　　Until the earth turns beneath it;

学习啦在线学习网 　　Poised and swinging,

　　With all the garden flowing beneath it,

　　Scarlet, and blue, and purple, and white --

学习啦在线学习网 　　Blurred colour reflections in rippled water --

　　Changing -- streaming --

学习啦在线学习网 　　For the moment that Stella takes to lift her arm.

学习啦在线学习网 　　Then the shuttlecock relinquishes,

　　Bows,

学习啦在线学习网 　　Descends;

　　And the sharp blue spears of the air

　　Thrust it to earth.

　　Again it mounts,

学习啦在线学习网 　　Stepping up on the rising scents of flowers,

　　Buoyed up and under by the shining heat.

　　Above the foxgloves,

　　Above the guelder-roses,

　　Above the greenhouse glitter,

学习啦在线学习网 　　Till the shafts of cooler air

　　Meet it,

　　Deflect it,

学习啦在线学习网 　　Reject it,

学习啦在线学习网 　　Then down,

　　Down,

　　Past the greenhouse,

　　Past the guelder-rose bush,

　　Past the foxgloves.

　　"Ninety-nine," Stella's battledore springs to the

　　impact.

　　Plunk! Like the snap of a taut string.

学习啦在线学习网 　　"Oh! Minna!"

　　The shuttlecock drops zigzagedly,

　　Out of orbit,

学习啦在线学习网 　　Hits the path,

　　And rolls over quite still.

学习啦在线学习网 　　Dead white feathers,

　　With a weight at the end.