Shot an arrow into the air,
It fell to earth, I knew not where,
For, so swiftly it flew, the sight
Could not follow it in its flight.
I breathed a song into the air,
It fell to earth, I knew not where,
For who has sight so keen and strong,
That it can follow the flight of song.
Long, long afterwards, in an oak
I found the arrow, still unbroke;
And the song, from beginning to end,
I found again in the heart of a friend.
我將一支箭向高空射出,
我不知它落在地面何處;
因為它飛得那樣速急,
我的眼力追不上它的蹤跡。
我將一支歌向高空唱出,
我不知它落在地面何處,
因為誰的眼力那樣犀利,
能追上歌聲的飛翔。
好久好久之后,在一棵櫟樹上,
我找到那支箭,依然未斷;
還有那支歌,從頭到尾,
我又發(fā)現(xiàn)在一位友人的心內(nèi)。