然而，这位老人的思绪主要集中在约瑟身上，他是他晚年寒冬中的慰藉：思索着，他沉思着约瑟的速度如何，或者也许发生了什么事——这时，看哪！在族长门前站着他的一个儿子——那罪恶团伙中的一员，受那些共谋者的指派，成熟化他们卑劣而残酷的诡计；将有关约瑟的消息带给老雅各——约瑟是他希望和恐惧的主题。
And he it was, who, stealing through the glade, Appear’d to court the covert of the shade; Guilt on his brow, his spirit ill at ease, His heart oppress’d with sin’s dark reveries— Remorse, foreboding retributive woe, Palsied his limbs and made his footsteps slow.
正是他，悄悄穿过林间小径，似乎寻求阴凉处的遮蔽；罪恶刻在他的额头，他的精神不安，他的心灵被罪恶的黑暗幻想所压迫——懊悔预示着报复的悲痛，瘫痪了他的四肢，使他的脚步变得缓慢。
The cries of welcome loudly now resound, Women and prattling children gather round— With eagerness receive him to his home, And fondly ask him where his brethren roam; With clam’rous voice demand if all be well— Their noisy questionings their feelings tell: The watchful dog awakes his notes anew, And pleased joins in the loud chorus too— Participating in the gen’ral joy, Which doth the hearts and tongues of all employ; With playful leap he capers o’er the ground, And round the trav’ller sports with joyous bound.
欢迎的欢呼声现在响亮地响起，妇女和叽叽喳喳的孩子们围拢过来——热情地迎接他回家，并亲切地问他兄弟们在哪里游荡；用喧闹的声音询问一切是否安好——他们嘈杂的提问表达了他们的感受：警惕的狗再次唤醒他的吠声，并愉快地加入到响亮的大合唱中——参与着普遍的喜悦，这喜悦占据了所有人的心灵和舌头；他欢快地跳跃着越过地面，围绕着旅行者快乐地蹦跳。
Lo! now before his hoary sire he stands, Holding the blood-stain’d garment in his hands.
看！现在他站在他白发苍苍的父亲面前，手中拿着沾满鲜血的衣服。
His children’s weal the Patriarch straight inNow sable night broods o’er Zeboim’s sea,
如今，漆黑的夜晚笼罩着塞波因之海，
Whose turbid, sluggish waves roll sullenly
其浑浊、迟缓的波涛阴郁地翻滚，
On shores accurs’d; where deepest horror reigns,
拍打着被诅咒的海岸；那里深藏着最骇人的恐怖，
And holds triumphantly her drear domains,
它自豪地统治着这片凄凉之地，
By tenure sealed with the fearful blast
凭藉着那令人恐惧的狂风所封印的权利，
Of wrath omnipotent, when erst it cast
当昔日全能的愤怒降临时，它曾投下
The flaming sulphur and the heav’n-lit fire,
燃烧的硫磺与天火，
Fanned into fury by almighty ire;
被至高的怒火煽动成暴怒；
A sea of lava—a destroying flood—
一片熔岩之海——一场毁灭性的洪流——
Where Sodom, Admah, and Zeboim stood,
那里曾矗立着索多玛、亚德玛和塞波因，
And foul Gomorrah, whose accursed race
还有邪恶的蛾摩拉，那被诅咒的种族，
Were then the vilest vile; who shamed the face
当时是最卑劣的存在；他们玷污了自然的颜面，
Of blushing Nature, who, abash’d, forsook
让羞愧的自然转身离去，悲痛中向天堂求助，
Her dwelling there, and sorrowing betook
寻求这里的补偿，并向高处诉说她的冤屈。
Herself to heav’n, redress to seek from hence,
她自己飞向天堂，从这里寻求补救，
And tell her wrongs to its high audience.
并向高高在上的听众倾诉她的不公。
Her prayer was heard.
她的祈祷被听见了。
As he was wont, the sun
如同往常，太阳点燃了他的火焰：
Had lighted up his fires: man had begun
人类开始了他的罪恶行径——
His deeds of sin—his works of damning guile,
他那致人死地的诡计，丑陋而可憎的行为，
Foul, hateful acts of wrong and fiendish wile:
邪恶且可恨的不义之举与恶魔般的狡诈手段：
Above, around, on ev’ry side, the light
在上方、四周，乃至每一侧，天堂的光芒平静而明亮地照耀着。
Of heav’n smiled serenely fair and bright.
没有警告的声音被听到，没有阴郁的声音，也没有预兆的阴影被发现——
No warning voice was heard, no dismal sound,
没有任何黑暗的征兆暗示着那些被诅咒的城市即将面临的命运。
Nor shade of ominous import was found—
罪人们继续犯罪——罪孽掀起它最黑暗的浪潮——
No darkly-boding thing to indicate
沉醉的灵魂挑战他们造物主的愤怒；
To those curs’d cities their impending fate.
一切似乎都如过去一般——似乎注定要延续到未来的岁月。
Sinners sinn’d on—guilt roll’d its darkest wave—
在一瞬间，大地上铺展开了一片有形的、令人畏惧的黑暗帷幕——
Besotted souls their Maker’s anger brave;
一种黑暗，围绕着灵魂投下了一个巨大的、无法承受的重量——
All things seem’d as they were in ages past—
它使生命的暖流偏离了轨道，穿透毛孔，瘫痪了每一个肢体，
Seem’d as decreed through future years to last.
令最强壮的心颤抖，使最勇敢的人变得苍白；它找到每一个战栗的可怜之人，将他们束缚在那个地方——
In one, one moment o’er the land was spread
一个无法移动、无力反抗的活生生的存在——
A shroud of darkness, tangible and dread—
一个无言的人类奇观！
A darkness, such as round the spirit cast
人们的嗓音静默了，那曾经充满猥亵言语和诅咒、嘲弄人群的舌头也被锁住了。
A dreadful weight, intolerable, vast—
那些惊恐的可怜之人被绑在每一边，恐惧的力量让他们僵硬地站着；
Which from its course the life’s warm current sway’d,
颤抖的大自然垂下了她疲惫的头，在死者沉默中的寒颤。
And through the bursting pores its passage made,
现在，闪电透过阴森的黑暗闪烁，伴随着雷鸣可怕地爆发；
And palsied ev’ry limb, and caus’d to quail
被火焰照亮，喧嚣声唤醒，献祭的索多玛瘫痪的儿子们开始再次展现生命的机能，
The stoutest heart, and turn’d the boldest pale;
在最后的争斗永远关闭之前；良知，那长期麻木的，现在重新主张它的权利，
And where each trembling wretched-one it found,
那些以前从未害怕过她友善、徒劳警告之声的人，现在在她的力量下痛苦挣扎；
Him unresisting to that spot it bound—
但徒劳地挣扎、痛苦或恐惧——他们的命运已定，他们的报应即将到来。
A motionless and pow’rless living one—
粗哑的哀号，尖锐而苦涩的尖叫，诉说着他们最疯狂的痛苦与恐惧；
A speechless, human, strange phenomenon!
惊恐的人群一起冲向那里，胆小的和勇敢的，无助的和强壮的——父亲、孩子、妇人、青春洋溢的年轻人和老人，都是毁灭的猎物，死亡悲伤的遗产。
Hush’d is the voice of men, and chain’d the tongue
天堂敞开门户——汹涌而出的是上帝王座前愤怒的烈焰洪流——
That erst with words obscene and curses rung,
来自那个可怕的王座，慈悲曾长久恳求，却徒劳地为塞波因的人群祈求。
And troll’d the shameless jest the throng among.
在可怕的战争中，元素互相争斗，闪电的轰击和液态火雨混合在一起，
Th’ affrighted wretches bound on ev’ry hand,
以无尽的愤怒打击塞波因的儿子们，用无光的黑暗笼罩永恒的黑夜。
In terror’s strong congealment transfixed stand;
硫磺恶魔肆虐平原，吞噬一切生机，直到它无法满足的欲望再找不到合适的物质食物——
And trembling Nature droops her fainting head,
人、兽和自然的绿色植被全部枯萎。
Shudd’ring amid the silence of the dead.
没有幸存的灵魂能讲述这场悲剧——罪恶之地变成了地狱之地；
Now, through the dismal gloom, the lightning’s flash
在整个后续的时间里，成为犯罪者们的警钟；用古老的罪恶迹象警告每一世代出生的人类；
Glares horridly amid the thunder’s crash;
提醒人们那位拥有无限力量的上帝，他以无障碍的目光洞察创造万物——
Rous’d by the blaze, the tumult, and the din,
并将所有世界的宇宙掌控在一个巨大、强大的环抱之中。
Devoted Sodom’s palsied sons begin
离那些被宣告诅咒的海岸不远，那里总是弥漫着忧郁的黑暗——
Once more to show the faculties of life,
一个曾经如此美丽的地方，五城联盟，
Ere closed for ever in the final strife;
现在成了可憎可怖事物的温床——
And Conscience, too, that slumber’d long, long sear’d,
以实玛利商人留在干渴荒芜的平原上扎营；
Her right asserts, and they who never fear’d
他们在日间劳作后搭起帐篷，当夜晚覆盖埃及骄傲的防御工事时。
Her friendly, vainly-warning voice before,
营地之上，飘扬的旗帜随风舞动，被天堂穹顶投下的光辉照亮，
Now writhe and agonize beneath her power;
And he it was, who, stealing through the glade, Appear’d to court the covert of the shade; Guilt on his brow, his spirit ill at ease, His heart oppress’d with sin’s dark reveries— Remorse, foreboding retributive woe, Palsied his limbs and made his footsteps slow.
正是他，悄悄穿过林间小径，似乎寻求阴凉处的遮蔽；罪恶刻在他的额头，他的精神不安，他的心灵被罪恶的黑暗幻想所压迫——懊悔预示着报复的悲痛，瘫痪了他的四肢，使他的脚步变得缓慢。
The cries of welcome loudly now resound, Women and prattling children gather round— With eagerness receive him to his home, And fondly ask him where his brethren roam; With clam’rous voice demand if all be well— Their noisy questionings their feelings tell: The watchful dog awakes his notes anew, And pleased joins in the loud chorus too— Participating in the gen’ral joy, Which doth the hearts and tongues of all employ; With playful leap he capers o’er the ground, And round the trav’ller sports with joyous bound.
欢迎的欢呼声现在响亮地响起，妇女和叽叽喳喳的孩子们围拢过来——热情地迎接他回家，并亲切地问他兄弟们在哪里游荡；用喧闹的声音询问一切是否安好——他们嘈杂的提问表达了他们的感受：警惕的狗再次唤醒他的吠声，并愉快地加入到响亮的大合唱中——参与着普遍的喜悦，这喜悦占据了所有人的心灵和舌头；他欢快地跳跃着越过地面，围绕着旅行者快乐地蹦跳。
Lo! now before his hoary sire he stands, Holding the blood-stain’d garment in his hands.
看！现在他站在他白发苍苍的父亲面前，手中拿着沾满鲜血的衣服。
His children’s weal the Patriarch straight inNow sable night broods o’er Zeboim’s sea,
如今，漆黑的夜晚笼罩着塞波因之海，
Whose turbid, sluggish waves roll sullenly
其浑浊、迟缓的波涛阴郁地翻滚，
On shores accurs’d; where deepest horror reigns,
拍打着被诅咒的海岸；那里深藏着最骇人的恐怖，
And holds triumphantly her drear domains,
它自豪地统治着这片凄凉之地，
By tenure sealed with the fearful blast
凭藉着那令人恐惧的狂风所封印的权利，
Of wrath omnipotent, when erst it cast
当昔日全能的愤怒降临时，它曾投下
The flaming sulphur and the heav’n-lit fire,
燃烧的硫磺与天火，
Fanned into fury by almighty ire;
被至高的怒火煽动成暴怒；
A sea of lava—a destroying flood—
一片熔岩之海——一场毁灭性的洪流——
Where Sodom, Admah, and Zeboim stood,
那里曾矗立着索多玛、亚德玛和塞波因，
And foul Gomorrah, whose accursed race
还有邪恶的蛾摩拉，那被诅咒的种族，
Were then the vilest vile; who shamed the face
当时是最卑劣的存在；他们玷污了自然的颜面，
Of blushing Nature, who, abash’d, forsook
让羞愧的自然转身离去，悲痛中向天堂求助，
Her dwelling there, and sorrowing betook
寻求这里的补偿，并向高处诉说她的冤屈。
Herself to heav’n, redress to seek from hence,
她自己飞向天堂，从这里寻求补救，
And tell her wrongs to its high audience.
并向高高在上的听众倾诉她的不公。
Her prayer was heard.
她的祈祷被听见了。
As he was wont, the sun
如同往常，太阳点燃了他的火焰：
Had lighted up his fires: man had begun
人类开始了他的罪恶行径——
His deeds of sin—his works of damning guile,
他那致人死地的诡计，丑陋而可憎的行为，
Foul, hateful acts of wrong and fiendish wile:
邪恶且可恨的不义之举与恶魔般的狡诈手段：
Above, around, on ev’ry side, the light
在上方、四周，乃至每一侧，天堂的光芒平静而明亮地照耀着。
Of heav’n smiled serenely fair and bright.
没有警告的声音被听到，没有阴郁的声音，也没有预兆的阴影被发现——
No warning voice was heard, no dismal sound,
没有任何黑暗的征兆暗示着那些被诅咒的城市即将面临的命运。
Nor shade of ominous import was found—
罪人们继续犯罪——罪孽掀起它最黑暗的浪潮——
No darkly-boding thing to indicate
沉醉的灵魂挑战他们造物主的愤怒；
To those curs’d cities their impending fate.
一切似乎都如过去一般——似乎注定要延续到未来的岁月。
Sinners sinn’d on—guilt roll’d its darkest wave—
在一瞬间，大地上铺展开了一片有形的、令人畏惧的黑暗帷幕——
Besotted souls their Maker’s anger brave;
一种黑暗，围绕着灵魂投下了一个巨大的、无法承受的重量——
All things seem’d as they were in ages past—
它使生命的暖流偏离了轨道，穿透毛孔，瘫痪了每一个肢体，
Seem’d as decreed through future years to last.
令最强壮的心颤抖，使最勇敢的人变得苍白；它找到每一个战栗的可怜之人，将他们束缚在那个地方——
In one, one moment o’er the land was spread
一个无法移动、无力反抗的活生生的存在——
A shroud of darkness, tangible and dread—
一个无言的人类奇观！
A darkness, such as round the spirit cast
人们的嗓音静默了，那曾经充满猥亵言语和诅咒、嘲弄人群的舌头也被锁住了。
A dreadful weight, intolerable, vast—
那些惊恐的可怜之人被绑在每一边，恐惧的力量让他们僵硬地站着；
Which from its course the life’s warm current sway’d,
颤抖的大自然垂下了她疲惫的头，在死者沉默中的寒颤。
And through the bursting pores its passage made,
现在，闪电透过阴森的黑暗闪烁，伴随着雷鸣可怕地爆发；
And palsied ev’ry limb, and caus’d to quail
被火焰照亮，喧嚣声唤醒，献祭的索多玛瘫痪的儿子们开始再次展现生命的机能，
The stoutest heart, and turn’d the boldest pale;
在最后的争斗永远关闭之前；良知，那长期麻木的，现在重新主张它的权利，
And where each trembling wretched-one it found,
那些以前从未害怕过她友善、徒劳警告之声的人，现在在她的力量下痛苦挣扎；
Him unresisting to that spot it bound—
但徒劳地挣扎、痛苦或恐惧——他们的命运已定，他们的报应即将到来。
A motionless and pow’rless living one—
粗哑的哀号，尖锐而苦涩的尖叫，诉说着他们最疯狂的痛苦与恐惧；
A speechless, human, strange phenomenon!
惊恐的人群一起冲向那里，胆小的和勇敢的，无助的和强壮的——父亲、孩子、妇人、青春洋溢的年轻人和老人，都是毁灭的猎物，死亡悲伤的遗产。
Hush’d is the voice of men, and chain’d the tongue
天堂敞开门户——汹涌而出的是上帝王座前愤怒的烈焰洪流——
That erst with words obscene and curses rung,
来自那个可怕的王座，慈悲曾长久恳求，却徒劳地为塞波因的人群祈求。
And troll’d the shameless jest the throng among.
在可怕的战争中，元素互相争斗，闪电的轰击和液态火雨混合在一起，
Th’ affrighted wretches bound on ev’ry hand,
以无尽的愤怒打击塞波因的儿子们，用无光的黑暗笼罩永恒的黑夜。
In terror’s strong congealment transfixed stand;
硫磺恶魔肆虐平原，吞噬一切生机，直到它无法满足的欲望再找不到合适的物质食物——
And trembling Nature droops her fainting head,
人、兽和自然的绿色植被全部枯萎。
Shudd’ring amid the silence of the dead.
没有幸存的灵魂能讲述这场悲剧——罪恶之地变成了地狱之地；
Now, through the dismal gloom, the lightning’s flash
在整个后续的时间里，成为犯罪者们的警钟；用古老的罪恶迹象警告每一世代出生的人类；
Glares horridly amid the thunder’s crash;
提醒人们那位拥有无限力量的上帝，他以无障碍的目光洞察创造万物——
Rous’d by the blaze, the tumult, and the din,
并将所有世界的宇宙掌控在一个巨大、强大的环抱之中。
Devoted Sodom’s palsied sons begin
离那些被宣告诅咒的海岸不远，那里总是弥漫着忧郁的黑暗——
Once more to show the faculties of life,
一个曾经如此美丽的地方，五城联盟，
Ere closed for ever in the final strife;
现在成了可憎可怖事物的温床——
And Conscience, too, that slumber’d long, long sear’d,
以实玛利商人留在干渴荒芜的平原上扎营；
Her right asserts, and they who never fear’d
他们在日间劳作后搭起帐篷，当夜晚覆盖埃及骄傲的防御工事时。
Her friendly, vainly-warning voice before,
营地之上，飘扬的旗帜随风舞动，被天堂穹顶投下的光辉照亮，
Now writhe and agonize beneath her power;