INTRODUCTION.

 There dwells a Wife by the Northern March

And a wealthy Wife is she.

She breeds a breed o’ rovin’ men

And casts them over sea.

And some they drown in deep water,

And some in sight of shore;

And word goes back to the carline Wife

And ever she sends more.

For since that Wife had gate or gear,

Or hearth¹ or garth or bield,

She wills her sons to the white harvest,

And that is a bitter yield—

xiiShe wills her sons to the wet ploughing

To ride the horse o’ tree,

And syne² her sons come home again

Far spent from out the sea.

The good Wife’s sons come home again

Wi’ little into their hands

But the lear o’ men that ha’ dealt wi’ men

In the new and naked lands—

But the faith o’ men that ha’ proven men

By more than willing breath,

And the eyes o’ men that ha’ read wi’ men

In the open books o’ Death.

Rich are they, rich in wonders seen,

But poor in the goods o’ men:

And what they ha’ got by the skin o’ their teeth

They sell for their teeth again.

Ay, whether they lose to the naked life,

Or win to their hearts’ desire,

They tell it all to the carline Wife

That nods beside the fire.

xiiiHer hearth is wide to every gust³

That gars the dead ash spin—

And tide by tide and ’twixt the tides

Her sons go out and in.

[Out in great mirth that do desire

Hazard of trackless ways,

In wi’ great peace to wait their watch

And warm before the blaze.]

And some return in broken sleep

And some in waking dream,

For she hears the heels o’ the dripping ghosts

That ride the long roof-beam.

Home—they come home from all the seas—

The living and the dead—

The good Wife’s sons come home again

For her blessing⁴ on their head.

Rudyard Kipling.

1 hearth   

n.壁炉炉床，壁炉地面

参考例句：

• She came and sat in a chair before the hearth.她走过来，在炉子前面的椅子上坐下。
• She comes to the hearth,and switches on the electric light there.她走到壁炉那里，打开电灯。

2 syne   

adv.自彼时至此时，曾经

参考例句：

• The meeting ended up with the singing of Auld Lang Syne.大会以唱《友谊地久天长》结束。
• We will take a cup of kindness yet for auld lang syne.让我们为了过去的好时光干一杯友谊的酒。

3 gust   

n.阵风，突然一阵（雨、烟等），（感情的）迸发

参考例句：

• A gust of wind blew the front door shut.一阵大风吹来，把前门关上了。
• A gust of happiness swept through her.一股幸福的暖流流遍她的全身。

4 blessing   

n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿

参考例句：

• The blessing was said in Hebrew.祷告用了希伯来语。
• A double blessing has descended upon the house.双喜临门。