信手拿来一本英文诗集，手下页码随意流走，这首诗却跃然眼前，瞬间潸然泪下。匆匆译成汉语，不尽如意。

这是首流行很广的英国民间诗歌，用传统的谣曲（ballad）形式，有故事性，每个诗节的第一、第三行为四音部（八个音节）；第二、第四行为三音步（六个音节），二、四两行押韵。这是一首抒情诗，丧偶的男子与亡妻的墓边对话，感情强烈。

配曲是好友送的歌，是此生听到的最哀伤的歌曲，后来不敢听，可是心中念念不忘。

   The Unquiet Grave                       《墓地未眠》 又名《墓前悼亡妻》Anonymous                                               ——无名氏

"The wind doth* blow today,my love,                 “今儿个风儿尽吹，爱人，

  And a few small drops of rain;                       雨滴也零星飘落；

I never had but one true-love,                       我从来就只有一个挚爱，

  In cold grave she was lain.                          而她却躺在冰冷的墓园。

"I'll do as much for my true-love                    爱人，我的挚爱，我要为你做很多

  As any young man may;                                像任何一个年轻爱人般；

I'll sit and mourn all at her grave                  坐在墓边守候，哀悼怀念

  For a twelvemonth and a day."                        十二个月零一天。”

The twelvemonth and a day being up,                  这十二个月零一天缓缓过去，

  The dead began to speak:                             亡妻开始轻言慢语:

"Oh who sits weeping on my grave,                   “哦是谁坐在墓边轻泣，

  And will not let me sleep?"                          让我不得安眠？”

"'Tis I, my love, sits on your grave,               “是我，爱人，坐在你的墓边，

  And will not let you sleep;                          不会让你睡去；因为渴望你的吻

For I crave one kiss of your clay-cold lips*,         你的复归泥土的冰冷的唇

  And that is all I seek."                              而这，是我所寻求的一切。”

"You crave one kiss of my clay-cold lips,            “你渴望我的吻，我的复归泥土的冰冷的唇，

  But my breath smells earthy strong;                    而我的呼吸也透着强烈的泥土味儿

If you have one kiss of my clay-cold lips,             如果你拥有我的吻，我的复归泥土的冰冷的唇，

  Your time will not be long.                            你的时日也将不久。

"'Tis* down in yonder* garden green,                   就在那远处绿意的花园，

  Love, where we used to walk,                           爱人，我们曾一同漫步，

The finest flower that ere* was seen                   曾看过那些最美的花儿

  Is withered to a stalk.                                可花儿凋落 只剩花枝。 

"The stalk is withered dry, my love,                   这花枝也已枯萎凋零，爱人                

  So will our hearts decay;                              所以，我们的心也会如此；

So make yourself content, my love,                     所以，振作起来，乐天知命，爱人，

  Till God calls you away."                              直到上帝唤你离开。”

*doth(古体)=does 

*clad-cold lips:据《圣经》所说，人是由泥土做成，死后又化为泥土、灰尘。

*Tis=It is

*yonder(诗)=farther

*ere(诗)=ever

                                             by Altan  from "the Blue Idol"

The trees they grow high,
The leaves they do grow green,
Many is the time my true love I’ve seen,
Many an hour I have watched him all alone,
He’s young but he’s daily growing.
Father, dear father, you’ve done me great wrong,
You have married me to a boy who is too young,
I am twice twelve and he is but fourteen,
He’s young but he’s daily growing.
Daughter, dear daughter, I’ve done you no wrong,
I have married you to a great lord’s son,
He will be a man for you when I am dead and gone,
He’s young but he’s daily growing
Father, dear father, if you see fit,
We’ll send him to college for another year yet,
I’ll tie a blue ribbon all around his head,
To let the maidens know that he is married.
One day I was looking over my father’s castle wall,
I spied all the boys playing with a ball,
And my own true love was the flower of them all,
He’s young but he’s daily growing.
And so early in the morning at the dawning of the day,
They went into a hayfield to have some sport and play,
And what they did there she never would declare,
But she never more complained of his growing.
At the age of fourteen he was a married man,
At the age of fifteen the father of my son,
At the age of sixteen his grave it was green,
And death had put an end to his growing.
I’ll buy my love some flannel,
I’ll make my love a shroud,，
With every stitch I put in it, the tears they will pour down,
With every stitch I put in it, how the tears they will flow,
Cruel fate has put an end to his growing.