恩典浪漫奏鳴曲

Under a spreading chestnut tree
    The village smithy stands;
The smith, a mighty man is he,
    With large and sinewy hands;
And the muscles of his brawny arms
    Are strong as iron bands.

His hair is crisp, and black, and long,
    His face is like the tan;
His brow is wet with honest sweat,
    He earns whate'er he can,
And looks the whole world in the face,
    For he owes not any man.

Week in, week out, from morn till night,
   You can hear his bellows blow;
You can hear him swing his heavy sledge,
    With measured beat and slow.
Like a sexton ringing the village bell,
    When the evening sun is low.

And children coming home from school
    Look in at the open door;
They love to see the flaming forge.
    And hear the bellows roar,
And catch the burning sparks that fly
    Like chaff from a threshing floor.

He goes on Sunday to the church,
   And sits among his boys;
He hears the parson pray and preach,
    He hears his daughter's voice,
Singing in the village choir,
   And it makes his heart rejoice.

It sounds to him like her mother's voice,
    Singing in Paradise!
He needs must think of her once more,
    How in the grave she lies;
And with his hard, rough hand he wipes
   A tear out of his eyes.

Toiling.--rejoicing,--sorrowing
   Onward through life he goes:
Each morning sees some task begin,
    Each evening sees it close;
Something attempted, something done,
    Has earned a night's repose.

Thanks. thanks to thee, my worthy friend,
    For the lesson thou hast taught!
Thus at the flaming forge of life
    Our fortunes must be wrought;
Thus on its sounding anvil shaped
   Each burning deed and thought!

鄉村鐵匠

在一株繁茂的栗樹下，
有家鄉村鐵匠鋪。
鐵匠是個強壯的漢子，
一雙大手真強壯；
在他雄健的胳膊上，
肌肉就像鐵一樣。

他的頭髮是捲曲的，又黑又長，
還有個竭色的臉龐； 
他的眉毛浸透誠實的汗水
他掙他能掙的錢，
他敢面對整個世界，
因為他對誰也不欠賬。

一週又一週，從早到晚，
你都能聽見他的風箱在響，
你能聽見他在揮動沈重的大錘，
緩慢而又節奏地敲打著，
就像在夕陽西下的時候，
鄉村教堂的打鍾人在敲鐘一樣。

孩子們放學回家，
從敞開的門往裏張望，
他們愛看冒著火焰的熔爐，
他們愛聽吼著的風箱，
他們愛捉燃燒的火花，
那火花就像打穀場上穀殼帶飛揚。

星期天他到教堂去，
坐在他兒子們中央； 
傾聽牧師的祈禱和傳道，
傾聽他的女兒，
在鄉村唱詩班裏唱歌的聲音，
這使他心情舒暢。

他覺得他女兒的歌聲，
就像是她母親在天堂裏歌唱。
他一定又想起她了，
不知她在墳墓休息得怎樣，
於是他用粗硬的手，
抹去眼裏的淚光。

勞累──歡樂──悲傷
一生中他努力向上，
每天早晨他看著工作開始，
每天晚上又看著它結束； 
有的工作計劃，有的工作完成了，
然後他得到了一夜的安詳。

多謝，多謝你，我珍貴的朋友，
謝謝你給我上了一課！
帶這樣冒著火焰的人生熔爐裏，
一定可以煉出我們的財富； 
這樣鏗鏘作響的鐵砧上，
便可造就出每個火紅的事業和思想。