評論
打印
LESSON 31 Family worship
第三十一課 家庭敬拜
THE cheerfu' supper done, wi' serious face,
愉快的晚餐結束，他們圍坐在火爐旁，
They round the ingle form a circle wide;
神情肅穆；
The sire turns o'er, wi' patriarchal grace,
父親轉過身，帶著長者的優雅，
The big ha'-Bible, once his father's pride:
那本《圣經》曾經是他父親的驕傲：
His bonnet reverently is laid aside,
他的帽子虔誠地放在一邊，
His lyart haffets wearin' thin and bare;
他的額頭瘦削光滑，
Those strains that once did sweet in Zion glide,
那些曾經在耶路撒冷歌頌的甜蜜旋律，
He wales a portion with judicious care;
他認真仔細地記住了一部分；
And "Let us worship God," he says, wi' solemn air……
“我們開始敬拜上帝吧，”他說，氛圍莊嚴……
The priest-like father reads the sacred page,
父親像神父一樣讀著神圣的書頁，
How Abraham was the friend of God on high;
講到亞伯拉罕和上帝之間的友誼；
Or, Moses bade eternal warfare wage,
或者，摩西發動的無休止的戰爭，
With Amalek's ungracious progeny;
和亞瑪力人那可恥的子孫一起；
Or how the royal bard did groaning lie;
或者皇家吟游詩人如何呻吟謊言；
Beneath the stroke of Heaven's avenging ire;
在上天復仇之憤的舉動下；
Or, Job's pathetic plaint and wailing cry;
或者，約伯那無力的哀嘆和慟哭；
Or rapt Isaiah's wild, seraphic fire;
或者以賽亞書那天使般的狂野之火；
Or other holy seers that tune the sacred lyre.
或者其他為神圣的豎琴調音的神圣先知。
Perhaps the Christian volume is the theme, —
或許基督教卷是主題，——
How guiltless blood for guilty man was shed;
無辜之血如何為有罪之人而流；
How He who bore in heaven the second name
為何在天堂有名之人
Had not on earth whereon to lay His head:
在人間卻沒有安枕歇息的地方：
How his first followers and servants sped;
他的第一批追隨者和仆人如何進行教化，
The precepts sage they wrote to many a land:
把教義傳向四方：
How he, who lone in Patmos banished, Saw in the sun a mighty angel stand,
他如何在帕特摩斯島被獨自驅逐之時，看到了站在太陽之上的萬能天使，
And heard great Babylon's doom pronounced by Heaven's command.
聽到了上天對偉大的巴比倫的判決。
Then kneeling down to heaven's eternal King,
然后跪拜天上的永恒之王，
The saint, the father, and the husband prays:
圣人、父親和丈夫祈禱著：
Hope "springs exulting on triumphant wing,"
希望“春天在勝利的翅膀上歡欣鼓舞”，
That thus they all shall meet in future days;
這樣他們就能在未來之日重逢；
There ever bask in uncreated rays,
那里的陽光一直溫暖如初，
No more to sigh, or shed the bitter tear,
不再嘆息，不再流淚，
Together hymning their Creator's praise,
他們一起唱贊美詩贊美造物主，
In such society, yet still more dear,
在這樣一個仍懷仁慈的世界，
While circling time moves round in an eternal sphere……
當時間在永恒的空間里不停流轉……
Then homeward all take off their several way;
然后朝著家的方向踏上不同的歸途；
The youngling cottagers retire to rest:
年輕的佃農們回家休息：
The parent pair their secret homage pay,
父母尊重他們的秘密，
And proffer up to Heaven the warm request,
并向上天提出溫心的請求，
That He who stills the raven's clamorous nest,
那個安撫了渡鴉喧嚷巢穴的人，
And decks the lily fair in flowery pride,
用絢麗的愉悅裝點百合的美麗，
Would, in the way his wisdom sees the best,
以這種方式他的大智看到了，
For them and for their little ones provide;
為他還有他們的后代提供的最好之物；
But chiefly in their hearts with grace divine preside.
那顆引領著他們的神圣的祈禱之心。
