i saw the stars against the summer night

still trembling as they trembled when the light

first fell upon them from the further world.

i could not bend my proud humanity

to kneel before the cold immensity,

i,who had youth and love,i,who could know,——

they,——flotsam on the ethereal ebb and flow,

dead things unmoved by immaterial fire

of hope and anguish and divine desire.

they were not more omnipotent than i,

they could not see and dream and change and die.

i could not bow before infinity,

the silent grandeur could not conquer me.

我看到星星在夏夜的天空中闪光，

就和从遥远的世界有光射照着他们的时候那样，

它们依然在闪光。

我不能让我的尊严的人性低头，

在那冰冷的无限面前跪叩，

我既年轻而有爱情，求知欲旺盛——

它们，——只是在大气潮汐上的玻片浮沉，

我有希望，苦闷，大愿，精神犹如火焚，

而它们是无动于衷的毫无生命。

它们并不比我有更高的全能力量，

他们不能见，不能梦，不能变，不能死亡。

我不蒙在无量数的星星面前低头，

那无声的矜庄并不能使我投降。