By Shel Silverstein

Theres a light on in the attic

Though the house is dark and shuttered，

I can see a 1）flickerin 2）flutter，

And I know what its about.

Theres a light on in the attic.

I can see it from the outside，

And I know youre on the inside…lookin out.

閣樓上亮著燈

屋內(nèi)漆黑一片，門窗緊閉著，

我卻看到微光閃爍，

我知道那是什么，

是閣樓上的孤燈一盞。

我從外面看得很清楚，

而我知道你在里面……也正朝外偷看呢。

This morning I got kidnapped

By three masked men.

And they stop

ped me on the sidewalk，

And offered me some candy，

And when I wouldnt take it

They grabbed me by the collar，

And pinned my arms behind me，

And shoved me in the backseat

Of this big black limousine and

Tied my hands behind my back

With sharp and rusty wire.

And then put a blindfold on me

So I couldnt see where they took me，

And plugged up my ears with cotton

So I couldnt hear their voices.

And drove for 20 miles or

At least for 20 minutes， and then

Dragged me from the car down to

Some cold and moldy basement，

Where they stuck me in a corner

And went off to get the ransom

Leaving one of them to guard me

With a shotgun pointed at me，

Tied up sitting on a stool…

And thats why Im late for school！

今早我被三個蒙面人

綁架了。

他們在路邊攔住我，

給我一些糖果，

我拒絕接受，

這時他們一把抓住我的領(lǐng)口，

反扣住我的雙手，

把我扔進了車后座，

開動了黑色的豪華車。

他們用冰冷生銹的鐵鏈

反銬住我的手腕，

用布蒙住我的雙眼，

使我不知道他們帶我去向哪兒，又用棉花塞住我的雙耳，

使我聽不見他們的聲音。

車開了二十英里或

至少二十分鐘，然后

他們將我拖出車，下到

一個又冷又潮的地窖。

他們把我丟在角落

便出去勒索贖金，

留下一個人守著我，

還拿著一把槍指著

綁在凳子上的我……

這就是我今天遲到的原因！

“Almost perfect…but not quite.”

Those were the words of Mary Hume

At her seventh birthday party，

Looking round the ribboned room.

“This tablecloth is pink， not white—

Almost perfect…but not quite.”

“Almost perfect…but not quite.”

Those were the words of grown-up Mary

Talking about her handsome 3）beau，

The one she wasnt gonna marry.

“Squeezes me a bit too tight—

Almost perfect…but not quite.”

“Almost perfect…but not quite.”

Those were the words of ol Miss Hume

Teaching in the seventh grade，

Grading papers in the gloom

Late at night up in her room.

“They never cross their ts just right—

Almost perfect…but not quite.”

Ninety-eight the day she died

Complainin bout the spotless floor.

People shook their heads and sighed，

“Guess that shell like heaven more.”

Up， up went her soul on feathered wings，

Out the door， up out of sight.

Another voice from heaven came—

“Almost perfect…but not quite.”

“幾乎完美了……但還差那么一點點?！?/p>

這是瑪麗·休姆說的話。

在她七歲生日的派對上，

她四處打量了一番張燈結(jié)彩的房間。

“這桌布不是白的而是粉紅色的——

幾乎完美了……但還差那么一點點?！?/p>

“幾乎完美了……但還差那么一點點?！?/p>

這是長大以后的瑪麗說的話。

她談起那英俊的男朋友，

但他卻不是她理想的結(jié)婚對象。

“抱我抱得有點兒太緊——

幾乎完美了……但還差那么一點點?！?/p>

“幾乎完美了……但還差那么一點點。”

老處女休姆小姐仍然說著這句話。

教著七年級，

深夜，在她幽暗的屋里

批著考卷。

“他們寫字從來沒仔細過——

幾乎完美了……但是就還差那么一點點?！?/p>

九十八歲她死的時候，

還在抱怨著那一塵不染的地板。

人們搖頭嘆息道，

“大概天堂會讓她滿意的?！?/p>

她的魂魄扇著羽毛翅膀，

飛出了大門，升上了天，

這時天上傳來另一個聲音——

“幾乎是完美的了……但是仍還差那么一點點?！?/p>

Eight balloons no one was buyin

All broke loose one afternoon.

Eight balloons with strings a-flyin，

Free to do what they wanted to.

One flew up to touch the sun—POP！

One thought the highway might be fun—POP！

One took a nap in a cactus pile—POP！

One stayed to play with a careless child—POP！

One tried to taste some bacon fryin—POP！

One fell in love with a 4）porcupine—POP！

One looked close in a crocodiles mouth—POP！

One sat around til his air ran out—WHOOSH！

Eight balloons no one was buyin—

They broke loose and away they flew，

Free to float and free to fly

And free to pop where they wanted to.

八只氣球都沒人買，

一天下午它們自由了。

八只氣球在空中飛舞，拖著長長的尾巴，

想去哪就飛到哪。

一只向上飛想觸摸太陽——啪！

一只以為高速公路上可能很有趣——啪！

一只在仙人掌叢睡了一覺——啪！

一只與粗心的小孩玩游戲——啪！

一只想嘗嘗煎鍋上的熏肉——啪！

一只與豪豬墜入了愛河——啪！

一只向鱷魚嘴里探究竟——啪！

一只則始終坐著直到氣跑光——噗～

八只氣球都沒人買——

松了尾巴飛上天，

自由飄搖自由行，

安身落土隨己意。