墓園派詩人托馬斯·格雷是18世紀的英國詩歌大家，其代表作《墓園挽歌》常被解讀為“感傷主義”的代表作。詩中描繪了一種靜謐 、閑適的農村田園生活，表現出詩人超然豁達的生死觀和淡泊名利的人生態度 ，其嚴謹的格式更展現出無窮的韻律美。用詩歌嘆盡死亡的真諦。
Thomas Gray - Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard《墓地挽歌》 雙語中英對照：
THE Curfew tolls the knell of parting day,
The lowing herd wind slowly o'er the lea,
The plowman homeward plods his weary way,
And leaves the world to darkness and to me.
沉沉暮鐘鳴，靄靄白日遠，
牛群哞哞吟，草上逶迤緩，
犁人步履艱，疲憊把家返，
此世唯留下，黑暗作我伴。
Now fades the glimmering landscape on the sight,
And all the air a solemn stillness holds,
Save where the beetle wheels his droning flight,
And drowsy tinklings lull the distant folds;
山水方明滅，此時漸黯淡，
四周空氣緊，安靜似莊嚴，
唯有甲蟲飛，嗡嗡在盤旋，
昏昏鈴鐺響，遠處羊群安。
Save that from yonder ivy-mantled tow'r
The moping owl does to the moon complain
Of such as, wand'ring near her secret bow'r,
Molest her ancient solitary reign.
唯有在那邊，高塔青藤滿，
憂郁貓頭鷹，對月發怨言，
怪他游蕩近，沖撞其閨苑，
多年獨處慣，如今遭冒犯。
Beneath those rugged elms, that yew-tree's shade,
Where heaves the turf in many a mould'ring heap,
Each in his narrow cell for ever laid,
The rude Forefathers of the hamlet sleep.
嶙峋榆樹下，紫杉投影暗，
堆堆腐朽上，草皮波浪翻，
各有狹窄間，永遠躺里面，
小村粗鄙祖，其中享安眠。
The breezy call of incense-breathing Morn,
The swallow twitt'ring from the straw-built shed,
The cock's shrill clarion, or the echoing horn,
No more shall rouse them from their lowly bed.
清晨呼吸甜，微風輕輕喚，
草泥窩巢邊，燕子聲呢喃，
雄雞嘹亮啼，獵人號角喧，
地下床上人，不可使其站。
For them no more the blazing hearth shall burn,
Or busy housewife ply her evening care:
No children run to lisp their sire's return,
Or climb his knees the envied kiss to share.
熊熊壁爐火，不再為其燃，
傍晚無家婦，忙碌弄衣飯，
亦無子女跑，咬舌念父返，
為得久盼吻，紛紛膝上攀。
Oft did the harvest to their sickle yield,
Their furrow oft the stubborn glebe has broke:
How jocund did they drive their team afield!
How bow'd the woods beneath their sturdy stroke!
每當收獲季，鐮到莊稼斷，
土地任硬頑，犁至土壟翻，
田中驅牛馬，勞作何其歡，
揮斧奮力砍，眾樹把腰彎!
Let not Ambition mock their useful toil,
Their homely joys, and destiny obscure;
Nor Grandeur hear with a disdainful smile
The short and simple annals of the poor.
此等勞作用，平凡喜樂歡，
無名人生路，雄心切勿嘆，
窮人故事短，記錄亦簡單，
偉大聽后笑，勿將鄙夷含。
The boast of heraldry, the pomp of pow'r,
And all that beauty, all that wealth e'er gave,
Awaits alike th' inevitable hour:
The paths of glory lead but to the grave.
家族地位顯，權力盛極觀，
美貌與財富，眷顧縱無邊，
唯有那一時，無人可豁免，
繁華榮耀路，墳塋是終點。
Nor you, ye Proud, impute to These the fault,
If Memory o'er their Tomb no Trophies raise,
Where through the long-drawn aisle and fretted vault
The pealing anthem swells the note of praise.
汝等驕傲人，見此勿刁難，
墳頭缺碑像，無法引懷念，
教堂甬道長，雕花穹頂間，
圣歌響亮久，贊美曲調滿。
Can storied urn or animated bust
Back to its mansion call the fleeting breath?
Can Honour's voice provoke the silent dust,
Or Flatt'ry soothe the dull cold ear of death?
棺槨雕生平，塑像留容顏，
魂魄悠悠去，能召回身轉?
榮勛若有聲，可引骨灰言?
死亡冷漠耳，頌贊豈可安?
Perhaps in this neglected spot is laid
Some heart once pregnant with celestial fire;
Hands, that the rod of empire might have sway'd,
Or waked to ecstasy the living lyre.
在此荒僻地，何人埋其間?
其心或充滿，浩蕩天國焰，
其手或可攬，帝國權杖桿，
或令世間琴，激情樂曲翻。
But Knowledge to their eyes her ample page
Rich with the spoils of time did ne'er unroll;
Chill Penury repress'd their noble rage,
And froze the genial current of the soul.
知識有萬卷，卷卷充盈滿，
時光所收攬，未展于其眼，
窮窘寒風吹，壯志熱情減，
雄心滔滔水，冰凍流不前。
Full many a gem of purest ray serene
The dark unfathom'd caves of ocean bear:
Full many a flower is born to blush unseen,
And waste its sweetness on the desert air.
幾多珠玉奇，葳蕤柔光閃，
惜埋深海里，萬丈洞窟暗，
幾多鮮花艷，獨放無人看，
沙漠空氣中，芬芳徒消散。
Some village Hampden that with dauntless breast
The little tyrant of his fields withstood,
Some mute inglorious Milton here may rest,
Some Cromwell guiltless of his country's blood.
村中漢普登，勇武胸有膽，
當地小暴君，抗命他自敢。
無名彌爾頓，默默此地眠，
或稱克倫威，護國血不沾。
Th' applause of list'ning senates to command,
The threats of pain and ruin to despise,
To scatter plenty o'er a smiling land,
And read their history in a nation's eyes,
陳詞國是院，言畢掌聲喧，
痛苦與災難，視之如等閑，
財貨錢糧散，河山盡開顏，
舉國眾目下，豐功偉績念。
Their lot forbade: nor circumscribed alone
Their glowing virtues, but their crimes confined;
Forbade to wade through slaughter to a throne,
And shut the gates of mercy on mankind,
命運未如此：非僅此遭蹇，
德行故難展，罪惡亦受限：
得免沃鮮血，殺戮通王權，
人間慈悲門，不會順手關。
The struggling pangs of conscious truth to hide,
To quench the blushes of ingenuous shame,
Or heap the shrine of Luxury and Pride
With incense kindled at the Muse's flame.
真理了然胸，藏之痛苦翻，
恥辱自發起，難消羞澀顏，
繆斯圣火焰，點點熏香燃，
驕奢祭壇前，齊齊堆放滿。
Far from the madding crowd's ignoble strife,
Their sober wishes never learn'd to stray;
Along the cool sequester'd vale of life
They kept the noiseless tenor of their way.
塵囂何紛繁，爭斗何微賤，
靜心又節欲，矢志塵爭遠。
命中離世谷，從之清涼泛，
寂寂正道持，一生不違偏。
Yet ev'n these bones from insult to protect
Some frail memorial still erected nigh,
With uncouth rhymes and shapeless sculpture deck'd,
Implores the passing tribute of a sigh.
枯骨雖平凡，不可任笑談，
簡樸碑與像，樹立在旁邊，
詞句笨且拙，雕塑形難堪，
卻把路人喚，且為輕聲嘆。
Their name, their years, spelt by th' unletter'd muse,
The place of fame and elegy supply:
And many a holy text around she strews,
That teach the rustic moralist to die.
粗陋繆斯刻，姓名生卒年，
事跡挽歌缺，空在內容換：
其中她涂寫，諸多圣經卷，
生死諸道理，教與鄉村漢。
For who, to dumb Forgetfulness a prey,
This pleasing anxious being e'er resign'd,
Left the warm precincts of the cheerful day,
Nor cast one longing ling'ring look behind?
沉默遺忘川，跌入故難免，
此生憂樂兼，放棄在一旦，
離開溫暖界，辭去白日歡，
誰人不纏綿，悵惘回首看?
On some fond breast the parting soul relies,
Some pious drops the closing eye requires;
Ev'n from the tomb the voice of Nature cries,
Ev'n in our Ashes live their wonted Fires.
魂魄雖已去，猶賴熱心肩，
若無字幾行，死者難閉眼;
即從墳墓里，靈魂出聲喊，
即在我灰中，其火慣常燃。
For thee, who, mindful of th' unhonour'd dead,
Dost in these lines their artless tale relate;
If chance, by lonely contemplation led,
Some kindred spirit shall inquire thy fate,
死者雖平凡，君不視等閑，
以詩句行行，講故事寡淡，
設若有一天，孤寂冥想牽，
有心類君者，將君命運探，
Haply some hoary-headed Swain may say,
'Oft have we seen him at the peep of dawn
Brushing with hasty steps the dews away
To meet the sun upon the upland lawn.
白頭鄉村漢，或作如是言：
黎明頭初探，我常將他見，
急急腳步趕，晨露盡踏翻，
高坡草地去，為會太陽面。
'There at the foot of yonder nodding beech
That wreathes its old fantastic roots so high,
His listless length at noontide would he stretch,
And pore upon the brook that babbles by.
遠處山毛櫸，彎彎樹下邊，
古老奇異根，高高盤花環，
近午身體倦，他常躺伸展，
小河汩汩流，凝視眼不轉。
'Hard by yon wood, now smiling as in scorn,
Mutt'ring his wayward fancies he would rove,
Now drooping, woeful wan, like one forlorn,
Or crazed with care, or cross'd in hopeless love.
那邊小樹林，他常漫游遍，
有時笑帶諷，奇思成喃喃，
有時低頭哀，孤寂狀悲慘，
或為思慮狂，或為失戀嘆。
'One morn I miss'd him on the custom'd hill,
Along the heath and near his fav'rite tree;
Another came; nor yet beside the rill,
Nor up the lawn, nor at the wood was he;
清晨慣去山，一溜樹叢邊，
最愛大樹旁，我未將他見;
又一清晨到，未在小溪前，
坡上草地無，也不在林間。
'The next with dirges due in sad array
Slow through the church-way path we saw him borne.
Approach and read the lay
Graved on the stone beneath yon aged thorn:'
翌晨哀樂響，支支悲痛挽，
遂見抬其棺，經過教堂緩。
那邊老棘下，石上刻題款，
君當能識字，請君上前念：
THE EPITAPH.
墓志銘
Here rests his head upon the lap of Earth
A Youth to Fortune and to Fame unknown.
Fair Science frown'd not on his humble birth,
And Melancholy mark'd him for her own.120
地母膝彎上，青年把頭放，
一生未聚財，亦未名聲揚。
出身誠微賤，學識未棄放，
憂郁關注他，引為知己樣。
Large was his bounty, and his soul sincere,
Heav'n did a recompense as largely send:
He gave to Mis'ry all he had, a tear,
He gain'd from Heav'n a friend.
靈魂既真誠，心胸且大方，
上天詳體察，亦遣同樣償：
一滴苦眼淚，盡數付悲傷，
上天賜一友，正為他所望。
No farther seek his merits to disclose,125
Or draw his frailties from their dread abode,
The bosom of his Father and his God.
德操或尚有，缺陷又何妨，
何必深處尋，皆已入大荒，
(到此無所異，唯愿安息躺，)
天父上帝胸，其中得安詳。