Passage13 The Road Not Taken
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
参考译文
未选择的路
黄色的树林里分出两条路，
可惜我不能同时去涉足，
我在那路口久久伫立，
我向着一条路极目望去，
直到它消失在丛林深处。
但我却选择了另外一条路，
它荒草萋萋，十分幽寂，
显得更诱人，更美丽。
虽然在这条小路上，
很少留下旅人的足迹。
那天清晨落叶满地，
两条路都未经脚印污染。
呵，留下一条路等改日再见！
但我知道路径延绵无尽头，
恐怕我难以再回返。
也许多少年后在某个地方，
我将轻声叹息将往事回顾：
一片树林里分出两条路——
而我选择了人迹更少的一条，
从此决定了我一生的道路。
编者点评
《未选择的路》是美国著名诗人罗伯特·弗罗斯特的著名诗篇。这首名诗形式是传统的抑扬格四音步，但音步可变 (含有不少抑扬的成分)，读起来朗朗上口，具有非常优美的音韵。这首诗的语言质朴自然，但在构思上却非常巧妙。我们不难看出，诗歌中所描写的岔路就是人生岔路的象征。在人生的旅途中，我们时常必须在两条道路、两种思想或两种行动中做出选择，不同的选择将决定不同的人生方向。这首诗，描绘的是一个面临选择的人和他进行选择时的心态，至于选择的具体内容并没有写出，诗人的着眼点是选择本身。每一个读者都能够在这首诗中发现自己的生活体验，体味其中的哲理。