塞缪尔·伍德沃思 (Samuel Woodworth, 1784─1842年), 出生于美国马萨诸塞州。他是诗人、剧作家和编辑。他只写过一首在他身后还流传的诗——《旧橡木桶》(1818年)。
How dear to my heart are the scenes of my childhood,
When fond recollection① presents them to view!
The orchard, the meadow, the deep tangled② wildwood,
And every loved spot which my infancy knew,
The wide-spreading pond and the mill that stood by it,
The bridge and the rock where the cataract③ fell;
The cot of my father, the dairy house nigh it,
And e’en the rude bucket that hung in the well.
That moss-covered bucket I hailed as a treasure,
For often at noon, when returned from the field,
I found it the source of an exquisite pleasure,
The purest and sweetest that nature can yield.
How ardent④ I seized it, with hands that were glowing,
And quick to the white-pebbled bottom it fell.
Then soon, with the emblem⑤ of truth overflowing,
And dripping with coolness, it rose from the well.
How sweet from the green, mossy brim to receive it,
As, poised on the curb, it inclined to my lips!
Not a full, blushing goblet⑥ could tempt me to leave it,
Tho’ filled with the nectar that Jupiter sips,
And now, far removed from the loved habitation,
The tear of regret will intrusively⑦ swell,
As fancy reverts to my father’s plantation,
And sighs for the bucket that hung in the well.
① recollectionn. 回忆,记忆;记忆力;回忆起的事物;往事;回忆录
② tangledadj. 纠缠的;紊乱的,混乱的,杂乱的
③ cataractn. 大瀑布;激流;豪雨;洪水
④ ardentadj. 燃烧的;炽热的;热烈的;激动的
⑤ emblemn. 象征;标志
⑥ gobletn. 高脚杯;(无柄)酒杯
⑦ intrusivelyadv. 干扰地;侵入地
旧橡木桶
当甜蜜的回忆在眼前展现儿时的景象,
我心中感到那种亲情荡漾!
那果园,草地,参差交错的野生林,
还有我儿时喜爱的每一地方,
那宽阔的池塘和池边的磨坊,
在瀑布落下的地方,那桥,那石,
我父亲的小屋,附近的挤奶房,
甚至那粗制木捅垂在井旁。
那布满青苔的木桶,我那么珍惜,
中午我从田里归来,
它常常给我带来快乐无比,
带来大自然生就的最纯最甜的东西。
我用火辣辣的手热烈地抓住它,
迅速将它放到白鹅卵石铺的井底,
木桶很快就溢满了水──真实的象征,
它一边从井里升起一边还流下清凉的水滴。
我从绿色布满青苔的井沿将它接住,
把它立在井边倾向我双唇,啊,真甜!
就是装满红酒的高脚杯也无法诱我离开,
哪怕是朱庇特饮的琼浆将杯子装满。
现在我远离可爱的故乡,
当幻想又回到我父亲的庄园,
为那吊在井里的木桶叹息时,
我的眼里禁不住涌出惋惜的泪水。
该诗以旧橡木桶为题,表达了对乡村简单朴素的生活和乡下人淳朴美德的怀念。但是这些美好的事物却因为工业的不断扩大和城市的飞速发展渐渐消失。该诗经常被重印在教科书中,并为人们所背诵, 在配上曲子以后,成为了1826年最流行的歌曲,并且在十九世纪的许多年里一直都很流行。