〔譯詩〕愛德華．托瑪士〈梟〉

我從山上來，餓，但還沒餓壞；

凍，但體內仍有熱，尚足敷

抵禦北風；累，但屋內歇息

遂儼然最甘美的事物。

在旅店，我用餐、烤火、歇息，

始知我多餓、多凍、多累。

整個黑夜被摒阻在外，除了

一梟獨啼，那最淒切的悲啼

搖曳迴響在山嶺，悠長、分明，

鳴者無歡，聞者亦歡顏難展，

但清楚告訴我，當晚，進門

我逃過的，他人卻無法倖免。

我的食物有滋味，我的歇息，

亦有滋味，且清醒難寐，因梟

為星空下所有露宿者而鳴，

士兵與貧者，皆無緣歡笑。

愛德華．托瑪士（Edward Thomas, 1878–1917），威爾斯裔詩人，生於倫敦，於牛津大學習歷史。鬻文維生，生前以大量的評論、傳記見知於世。1914年，受佛洛斯特激勵，開始寫詩。一次世界大戰爆發隔年，詩人從軍，兩年後死於法國阿拉斯（Arras）戰場，得年三十九。是年，其第一本詩集出版。

〈梟〉是托瑪士的名篇，寫於戰爭期間。夜梟本自無情，有情的其實是幸得溫飽之餘猶心繫苦難眾生的詩人。全詩四節，每節四行（quatrain），偶數行押韻，每節換韻，除了倒數第五行有十一個音節之外，餘皆為十個音節工整的抑揚五步格（iambic pentameter）。

原文：

The Owl

Downhill I came, hungry, and yet not starved;

Cold, yet had heat within me that was proof

Against the North wind; tired, yet so that rest

Had seemed the sweetest thing under a roof.

Then at the inn I had food, fire, and rest,

Knowing how hungry, cold, and tired was I.

All of the night was quite barred out except

An owl's cry, a most melancholy cry

Shaken out long and clear upon the hill,

No merry note, nor cause of merriment,

But one telling me plain what I escaped

And others could not, that night, as in I went.

And salted was my food, and my repose,

Salted and sobered, too, by the bird's voice

Speaking for all who lay under the stars,

Soldiers and poor, unable to rejoice.