AN EASTERN LEGEND.

 THERE’S a tender Eastern legend,

In a volume old and rare,

Of the Christ-child in his garden,

Walking with the children there.

And it tells—this strange, sweet story—

(True or false, ah, who shall say?)

How a bird with broken pinion¹

Dead within the garden lay.

And the children, childish cruel,

Lifted it by shattered wing,

Shouting, “Make us merry music,

Sing, you lazy fellow, sing.”

 

What poor woman was

commended by Christ as

having been more generous

than all the rich?

 

But the Christ-child bent² above it,

Took it in his gentle hand,

Full of pity for the suffering

He alone could understand.

Whispered to it—O, so softly!

Laid his lips upon its throat,

And the song-life, swift returning,

Sounded out in one glad note.

 

Then away on wings unwearied,

Joyously³ it sang and soared,

And the little children, kneeling,

Called the Christ-child “Master—Lord.”

1 pinion   

v.束缚；n.小齿轮

参考例句：

• At nine the next morning Bentley was pinioned,hooded and hanged.次日上午9点，本特里被捆住双臂，戴上头罩，然后绞死了。
• Why don't you try tightening the pinion nut first?你为什么不先扭紧小齿轮的螺帽？

2 bent   

n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的

参考例句：

• He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
• We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

3 joyously   

ad.快乐地, 高兴地

参考例句：

• She opened the door for me and threw herself in my arms, screaming joyously and demanding that we decorate the tree immediately. 她打开门，直扑我的怀抱，欣喜地喊叫着要马上装饰圣诞树。
• They came running, crying out joyously in trilling girlish voices. 她们边跑边喊，那少女的颤音好不欢快。 来自名作英译部分