第12章 Pictures of Memory 记忆的图画
Alice Cary, 1820-1871, was born near Cincinnati. One of her ancestors was among the "Pilgrim Fathers, " and the first instructor of Latin at Plymouth, Mass. Miss Cary commenced her literary career at her western home, and, in 1849, published a volume of poems, the joint work of her younger sister, Phoebe, and herself. In 1850, she moved to New York. Two of her sisters joined her there, and they supported themselves by their literary labor. Their home became a noted resort for their literary and artistic friends. Miss Cary was the author of eleven volumes, besides many articles contributed to periodicals. Her poetry is marked with great sweetness and pathos. Some of her prose works are much admired, especially her "Clovernook Children."
Among the beautiful pictures
That hang on Memory's wall,
Is one of a dim old forest,
That seemeth best of all;
Not for its gnarled oaks olden,
Dark with the mistletoe;
Not for the violets golden,
That sprinkle the vale below;
Not for the milk-white lilies,
That lean from the fragrant hedge,
Coquetting all day with the sunbeams,
And stealing their golden edge;
Not for the vines on the upland,
Where the bright red berries rest,
Nor the pinks, nor the pale, sweet cowslip,
It seemeth to me the best.
I once had a little brother,
With eyes that were dark and deep;
In the lap of that dim old forest,
He lieth in peace asleep:
Light as the down of the thistle,
Free as the winds that blow,
We roved there the beautiful summers,
The summers of long ago;
But his feet on the hills grew weary,
And, one of the autumn eves,
I made for my little brother,
A bed of the yellow leaves.
Sweetly his pale arms folded
My neck in a meek embrace,
As the light of immortal beauty
Silently covered his face;
And when the arrows of sunset
Lodged in the tree tops bright,
He fell, in his saintlike beauty,
Asleep by the gates of light.
Therefore, of all the pictures
That hang on Memory's wall,
The one of the dim old forest
Seemeth the best of all.
爱丽丝·卡里（1820～1871年），出生在辛辛那提附近。她的祖先是“朝圣者的先父”中的一员，她是马萨诸塞州普利茅斯的首位拉丁语启蒙老师。卡里小姐是在美国西部的家中开始文学生涯的，1849年出版一本诗集，这本诗集是由她和她的妹妹菲比共同完成的。1850年，她移居纽约。她的两个姐妹也跟随她去了那里，她们在纽约靠文学创作养活自己。正因为她们在文学方面的造诣，使得她们的家成了著名的度假胜地。卡里小姐是11部作品的作者，她还给许多期刊写过文章，她的诗歌言语轻快，她特别擅长写悲痛的诗歌。此外，她还写过一些散文，这其中《柯洛沃努克的儿童》最著名。
在挂在记忆之墙上的
众多漂亮图画中，
有一幅幽暗的森林，
看上去最美；
不是因为树林里有扭曲的老橡树
和着槲寄生的黑暗；
不是因为金色紫罗兰
在下面的山谷闪闪发光；
不是因为奶白色的百合
倚靠着芬芳的树篱，
在阳光下尽情地卖弄风情，
扭动它们金色的花边；
也不是因为高地上的葡萄藤，
长满了红色的浆果，
也不是因为粉色或白色的甜甜的野樱草，
让我觉得最美。
我曾带着我的小弟弟来到这片树林，
他的目光明亮而深邃；
在这光线昏暗的树林里，
他安详地入睡；
他像蓟花一样光明，
他像风儿一样自由，
我们在美丽的夏天
在林中漂泊；
但他的脚踏在山上越来越虚弱，
在秋天的一个晚上，
我为我的小弟弟铺了
一张洒满落叶的床。
他无力的臂膀
将我抱进他温柔的怀抱，
不朽的美丽光芒
静静地洋溢在他脸上；
当落日的光芒
在树顶闪闪发亮的时候，
他倒下了，带着圣徒的美，
睡在阳光之门下。
因此，在我看来，
在挂在记忆之墙的众多图画中，
就数那幅幽暗森林
最美。