W. H. Davies was born in South Wales in 1871. His father died when he was two years old and then his mother left him. He quitted school at mid teens and worked as apprentice and laborer. At age 22 he traveled to America for 6 years as a tramp until he lost his foot in Canada. In returning to London he devoted himself in writing. His first collection of poems was published 1905 when he was 34. Altogether he published about 16 books of poems. He died at 1940.

戴维斯 (W. H. Davies) 1871 年生於英国的南威尔斯。两岁丧父，母也弃他而去。他十余岁即辍学，从事学徒及零工。廾二岁到北美流浪六年，直到在加拿大失去一足才回国。回伦敦以后，他从事写诗。在1905年34 岁时才出版第一本诗集；一生出版有十六本之多。戴维斯殁于1940年。

夏菁，是盛志澄的笔名，1925年生于浙江嘉兴．美国科罗拉多州立大学硕士，曾任联合国专家及科罗拉多教授等职。夏菁是台湾 “蓝星诗社” 创始人之一。自1954年 出版第一本诗集起，已有九种，包括近年出版的《雪岭》(2003)和《夏菁短诗选》(2004)等。

Hsia Ching, the pen name of Ted (Tse) C. Sheng, was born in Zhejiang, China in 1925. He received his M.S. degree from the Colorado State University (1966) and has worked with the United Nations and taught at the Colorado State University. Hsia Ching was one of the founders of the Blue Stars Poetry Society in Taiwan in early Fifties. Since his first collection of poems published in 1954, he has produced a total of nine volumes of poems including the recent two: A Snow-capped Peak (2003) and Selected Poems of Hsia Ching (2004).

Leisure

闲暇

What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare? —

No time to stand beneath the boughs,
And stare as long as sheep and cows:

No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass:

No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night:

No time to turn at Beauty’s glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance:

No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began?

A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
			

这是什么生活，战战兢兢，
我们若没有时间凝视和站定。

没有时间在树下小傍，
像牛羊一般地出神呆望：

没有时间探视路边的树林，
有松鼠把干果在草间藏隐：

没有时间欣赏睛朗的白昼中，
小溪充满闪烁、犹如夜空：

没有时间领会美的盼顾，
注意她的脚、怎样婆娑起舞：

没有时间等待她嫣然一笑，
当她的眼中透露了先兆？

如此可怜的生活，战战兢兢，
我们若没有时间凝视和站定。
			

The Example

榜样

Here's an example from 
	A Butterfly;
That on a rough, hard rock
	Happy can lie;
Friendless and all alone
On this unsweetened stone.

Now let my bed be hard
	No care take I;
I'll make my joy like this
	Small Butterfly;
Whose happy heart has power
To make a stone a flower.
			

这里有一个榜样
	从一只蝴蝶；
在粗糙坚硬的岩盘上
	快乐能栖息；
孤独而缺乏友情
在这冷漠的石顶。

现在，任我的床再坚硬
	我也不关心；
和那只小蝴蝶一样
	我欢乐自寻；
它的乐观能功夺造化
使顽石变成鲜花。
			

My Youth

青春时代

My youth was my old age,
      Weary and long;
It had too many cares
      To think of song;
My moulting days all came
      When I was young.

Now, in life's prime, my soul
      Comes out in flower;
Late, as with Robin, comes
      My singing power;
I was not born to joy
      Till this late hour.
			

我的青春是我的老年，
   疲乏又漫长；
那时有太多的忧虑
   想不到去歌唱；
我衰颓和惨绿的日子
   都在年轻时光。

如今到盛年，我的心灵
   自花朵中跃升；
迟缓地像知更鸟一般
   歌唱的力量萌生；
我原不是生下来就欢乐
   直到过了大半生。