蒼涼多石的海岸上，
激濺著飛揚的碎浪，
陰沉風暴的天空下，
樹木巨大的枝柯在搖蕩；
黑沉沉的夜暗低懸，
覆蓋著山頭和水邊，
負載著流浪者的小船，
碇泊在新英格蘭荒涼的海岸。
不是要作征服者，
他們帶著真誠的心；
不曾打著激揚的戰鼓，
也沒有號角吹起聲威遠聞；
他們不是逃亡飄泊，
心懷者懼怕畏怯靜默—
他們用歡樂昂揚的詩歌
震撼著沉鬱的荒漠。
在風浪中他們歌唱，
超越了海濤達到了群星；
幽暗的林徑也發出迴響
應和著自由的歌聲。
雄鷹離巢凌空直上
海洋綻開白色的浪花；
樹林搖舞松風呼嘯—
是在歡迎他們到家。
在那群移民者當中
有些人已經是鬚髮斑白；
是甚麼使他們離開童年的故土，
到這遙遠的異鄉來？
那裏一位婦女無畏的眼睛，
閃耀著對真理的深愛；
那裏有男子高貴的眉宇間，
顯示青年燃燒的壯懷。
他們何所尋求來自遠方？
是為閃耀珍寶的礦藏？
是海上的豐富或戰爭的掠物報賞？
他們是尋求純潔信仰的殿堂。
是的，他們的腳剛一上陸，
就稱這裏為聖地；
他們不願被沾染，而現在
尋得了敬拜上主的自由。 |
The breaking waves dashed high
On a stern and rock-bound coast,
And the woods against a stormy sky
Their giant branches tossed;
And the heavy night hung dark
The hills and waters o'er,
When a band of exiles moored their bark
On the wild New England shore.
Not as the conqueror comes,
They, the true-hearted came;
Nor with the roll of the stirring drums,
And the trumpet that sings of fame;
Not as the flying come,
In silence and in fear —
They shook the depths of the desert gloom
With their hymns of loft cheer.
Amidst the storm they sang,
And the stars heard, and the sea;
And the sounding aisles of the dim woods rang
To the anthem of the free.
The ocean eagle soared
From his nest by the white wave's foam;
And the rocking pines of the forest roared—
This was their welcome home.
There were men with hoary hair
Amidst that pilgrim band:
Why had they come to wither there,
Away from their childhood's land.
There was a woman's fearless eye,
Lit by her deep love's truth;
There was manhood's brow serenely high,
And the fiery heart of youth.
What sought they thus afar?
Bright jewels of the mine?
The wealth of seas, the spoils of war?
They sought a faith's pure shrine!
Aye, call it holy ground,
The soil where they first trod;
They have left unstained what there they found —
Freedom to worship God. |
