罗伯特•弗罗斯特被称为“自然诗人”，他善写自然景物，以自然现象进行诗性喻意。本诗，直入白桦树的自然景观里，全篇的叙述，近于散文化的描写，但在叙述里包含的仍是诗人的一颗诗心。诗歌结尾处，几乎是明白无误地亮出了全诗的主旨，即面对着现实的困境或失望，我藉由白桦树得以暂时逃避，进入“天心”深处，但最后的结局不过是又回到了地面，又回到了这难堪的、割舍不掉的人世，从而继续面对下去，继续生活下去。幻想中的从“天心”到“地面”的反复过程，似乎就像是生命中无可奈何的自我嘲讽。值得注意的是，本诗极端性的散文化笔触和细致（或冗长）的情景描摹，其写法的优缺之处，不能单纯以汉语译本来进行粗率的批评或为之定义，也就是说，一般汉语读者读到的只是译本，它与英语原作是不可相提并论的。

“挺直、黑黑的树排列成行，只见/白桦树却弯下身子，向左，也向右，/我总以为有个孩子把白样“荡”弯了/可是“荡”一下不会叫它们一躬到底/再也起不来。这可是冰干的事。/下过一场冬雨，第二天，太阳出来，/你准会看到白桦上结满了冰。/一阵风吹起，树枝就咯喇喇响，/闪射出五彩缤纷，原来这一颤动，/冰块坼裂成瓷瓶上的无数细纹。”白桦树向左也向右，如命运之摇摆和变化。我总以为是孩子的缘故，“孩子”或许喻意着一种无心的游戏，一种命运式的毫无缘由。冰，冷静，木然，终结性的。但冰在风中，也会产生色彩的变化，大自然的诡谲多变由此可见一斑。

“我真想暂时离开人世一会儿，/然后再回来，重新干它一番。可是，/别来个命运之神，故意曲解我，/只成全我愿望的一半，把我卷了走，/一去不返。你要爱，就扔不开人世。/我想不出还有哪儿是更好的去处。/我真想去爬白桦树，沿着雪白的树干/爬上乌黑的树枝，爬向那天心，/直到树身再支撑不住，树梢碰着地，/把我放下来。去去又回来，那该有多好/比“荡桦树”更没有意思的事，可有的是。”我真想暂时离开人世一会儿，对于现实人世的逃避。但又不能完全舍得下人世，还想回来，想再干一番。要爱，就不可能扔下人世而不管，这是一条铁律。

幻想主导了本诗的结尾。我想爬白桦树，直到天心深处，直到一个美好的地方，这样就可以脱离人世一会儿，逃避人世一会儿。但白桦树终究支撑不住我，或者我的内心里还留恋着人世，留恋着爱的本身，所以我还会回到地面上，重新直面生活中无尽的爱和恨、美好与艰难。

　　　　

When I see birches bend to left and right

Across the lines of straighter darker trees,

I like to think some boy"s been swinging them.

But swinging doesn"t bend them down to stay.

Ice-storms do that. Often you must have seen them

Loaded with ice a sunny winter morning

After a rain. They click upon themselves

As the breeze rises, and turn many-coloured

As the stir cracks and crazes their enamel.

Soon the sun"s warmth makes them shed crystal shells

Shattering and avalanching on the snow-crust

Such heaps of broken glass to sweep away

You"d think the inner dome of heaven had fallen.

They are dragged to the withered bracken by the load,

And they seem not to break; though once they are bowed

So low for long, they never right themselves:

You may see their trunks arching in the woods

Years afterwards, trailing their leaves on the ground,

Like girls on hands and knees that throw their hair

Before them over their heads to dry in the sun.

But I was going to say when Truth broke in

With all her matter-of-fact about the ice-storm,

I should prefer to have some boy bend them

As he went out and in to fetch the cows--

Some boy too far from town to learn baseball,

Whose only play was what he found himself,

Summer or winter, and could play alone.

One by one he subdued his father"s trees

By riding them down over and over again

Until he took the stiffness out of them,

And not one but hung limp, not one was left

For him to conquer. He learned all there was

To learn about not launching out too soon

And so not carrying the tree away

Clear to the ground. He always kept his poise

To the top branches, climbing carefully

With the same pains you use to fill a cup

Up to the brim, and even above the brim.

Then he flung outward, feet first, with a swish,

Kicking his way down through the air to the ground.

So was I once myself a swinger of birches.

And so I dream of going back to be.

It"s when I"m weary of considerations,

And life is too much like a pathless wood

Where your face burns and tickles with the cobwebs

Broken across it, and one eye is weeping

From a twig"s having lashed across it open.

I"d like to get away from earth awhile

And then come back to it and begin over.

May no fate wilfully misunderstand me

And half grant what I wish and snatch me away

Not to return. Earth"s the right place for love:

I don"t know where it"s likely to go better.

I"d like to go by climbing a birch tree~

And climb black branches up a snow-white trunk

Toward heaven, till the tree could bear no more,

But dipped its top and set me down again.

That would be good both going and coming back.

One could do worse than be a swinger of birches.

.             

挺直、黑黑的树排列成行，只见

白桦树却弯下身子，向左，也向右，

我总以为有个孩子把白样“荡”弯了

可是“荡”一下不会叫它们一躬到底

再也起不来。这可是冰干的事。

下过一场冬雨，第二天，太阳出来，

你准会看到白桦上结满了冰。

一阵风吹起，树枝就咯喇喇响，

闪射出五彩缤纷，原来这一颤动，

冰块坼裂成瓷瓶上的无数细纹。

阳光的温暖接着使那水晶的硬壳

从树枝上崩落，一齐倾泻在雪地上——

这么一大堆碎玻璃尽够你打扫，

你还以为是天顶的华盖塌了下来。

压不起那么些重量的树枝，硬是给

按下去，直到贴近那贴地的枯草，

但并没折断；虽然压得这么低、这么久

那枝条再也抬不起头来。几年后

你会在森林里看到那些白桦树

弯曲着树身，树叶在地面上拖扫，

好像趴在地上的女孩子把一头长发

兜过头去．好让太阳把头发晒干。

方才我说到了哪里？是那雨后的冰柱

岔开了我的话头——我原是想说：

我宁可以为是个放牛的农家孩子

来回走过的时候把白话弄弯了。

这孩子．离城太远，没人教棒球，

他只能自个儿想出玩意儿来玩，

自个儿跟自个儿玩，不管夏天冬天，

他一株一株地征服他父亲的树，

一次又一次地把它们骑在胯下，

直到把树的倔强劲儿完全制服：

一株又一株都垂头丧气地低下来——

直到他再没有用武之地。他学会了

所有的花招：不立刻腾身跳出去，

免得一下子把树干扳到了地面。

他始终稳住身子，不摇不晃地，

直到那高高的顶枝上一一小心翼翼地

往上爬，那全神贯注的样儿．就像

把一杯水倒满，满到了杯口，

甚至满过了边缘。然后．纵身一跳，

他两脚先伸出去，在空中乱踢乱舞，

于是飕的一声，降落到地面。

当年，我自己也是“荡桦树”的能手，

现在还梦想着再去荡一回桦树，

那是每逢我厌倦于操心世事，

而人生太像一片没有小径的森林，

在里面摸索，一头撞在蛛网上，

只感到验上又热辣、又痒痒；

忽然，一根嫩枝迎面打来，

那一只给打中了的眼睛疼得直掉泪。

我真想暂时离开人世一会儿，

然后再回来，重新干它一番。可是，

别来个命运之神，故意曲解我，

只成全我愿望的一半，把我卷了走，

一去不返。你要爱，就扔不开人世。

我想不出还有哪儿是更好的去处。

我真想去爬白桦树，沿着雪白的树干

爬上乌黑的树枝，爬向那天心，

直到树身再支撑不住，树梢碰着地，

把我放下来。去去又回来，那该有多好

比“荡桦树”更没有意思的事．可有的是。

.

选自诗人读诗