To Sydney

NOT thine where marble-still and white

Old statues share the tempered light

And mock the uneven¹ modern flight,

But in the stream

Of daily sorrow and delight

To seek a theme.

I too, O friend, have steeled my heart

Boldly to choose the better part,

To leave the beaten ways of art,

And wholly free

To dare, beyond the scanty² chart,

The deeper sea.

All vain restrictions³ left behind,

Frail⁴ bark! I loose my anchored mind

And large, before the prosperous wind

Desert the strand⁵ —

A new Columbus sworn to find

The morning land.

Nor too ambitious, friend. To thee

I own my weakness. Not for me

To sing the enfranchised⁶ nations’ glee,

Or count the cost

Of warships⁷ foundered⁸ far at sea

And battles lost.

High on the far-seen, sunny hills,

Morning-content my bosom⁹ fills;

Well-pleased, I trace the wandering rills

And learn their birth.

Far off, the clash of sovereign wills

May shake the earth.

The nimble circuit of the wheel,

The uncertain poise¹⁰ of merchant weal,

Heaven of famine, fire and steel

When nations fall;

These, heedful, from afar I feel —

I mark them all.

But not, my friend, not these I sing,

My voice shall fill a narrower ring.

Tired souls, that flag upon the wing,

I seek to cheer:

Brave wines to strengthen hope I bring,

Life’s cantineer!

Some song that shall be suppling¹¹ oil

To weary muscles strained with toil¹²,

Shall hearten for the daily moil,

Or widely read

Make sweet for him that tills the soil

His daily bread.

Such songs in my flushed hours I dream

(High thought) instead of armour¹³ gleam

Or warrior¹⁴ cantos ream by ream

To load the shelves —

Songs with a lilt of words, that seem

To sing themselves.

1 uneven   

adj.不平坦的，不规则的，不均匀的

参考例句：

• The sidewalk is very uneven—be careful where you walk.这人行道凹凸不平—走路时请小心。
• The country was noted for its uneven distribution of land resources.这个国家以土地资源分布不均匀出名。

2 scanty   

adj.缺乏的，仅有的，节省的，狭小的，不够的

参考例句：

• There is scanty evidence to support their accusations.他们的指控证据不足。
• The rainfall was rather scanty this month.这个月的雨量不足。

3 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

4 frail   

adj.身体虚弱的；易损坏的

参考例句：

• Mrs. Warner is already 96 and too frail to live by herself.华纳太太已经九十六岁了，身体虚弱，不便独居。
• She lay in bed looking particularly frail.她躺在床上，看上去特别虚弱。

5 strand   

vt.使（船）搁浅，使（某人）困于（某地）

参考例句：

• She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ears.她把一缕散发夹到了耳后。
• The climbers had been stranded by a storm.登山者被暴风雨困住了。

6 enfranchised   

v.给予选举权( enfranchise的过去式和过去分词 )；（从奴隶制中）解放

参考例句：

• The slaves were enfranchised. 奴隶们被释放了。 来自互联网
• In Britain women were enfranchised in 1918. 1918年英国妇女获得议会选举权。 来自互联网

7 warships   

军舰，战舰( warship的名词复数 )； 舰只

参考例句：

• The enemy warships were disengaged from the battle after suffering heavy casualties. 在遭受惨重伤亡后，敌舰退出了海战。
• The government fitted out warships and sailors for them. 政府给他们配备了战舰和水手。

8 foundered   

v.创始人( founder的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Three ships foundered in heavy seas. 三艘船在波涛汹涌的海面上沉没了。 来自辞典例句
• The project foundered as a result of lack of finance. 该项目因缺乏资金而告吹。 来自辞典例句

9 bosom   

n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的

参考例句：

• She drew a little book from her bosom.她从怀里取出一本小册子。
• A dark jealousy stirred in his bosom.他内心生出一阵恶毒的嫉妒。

10 poise   

vt./vi. 平衡，保持平衡；n.泰然自若，自信

参考例句：

• She hesitated briefly but quickly regained her poise.她犹豫片刻，但很快恢复了镇静。
• Ballet classes are important for poise and grace.芭蕾课对培养优雅的姿仪非常重要。

11 suppling   

使柔软，使柔顺（supple的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• The Serpentine: Serpentines make excellent exercises for suppling the sides on the horse. 蛇形型路线，是很好的练习，帮助马匹柔软。
• The Leg Yield: This exercise is relatively easy and very suppling for the horse. LEGYIELD是一种相对简单，但是对马匹柔软非常好的练习。

12 toil   

vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事

参考例句：

• The wealth comes from the toil of the masses.财富来自大众的辛勤劳动。
• Every single grain is the result of toil.每一粒粮食都来之不易。

13 armour   

（=armor）n.盔甲；装甲部队

参考例句：

• His body was encased in shining armour.他全身披着明晃晃的甲胄。
• Bulletproof cars sheathed in armour.防弹车护有装甲。

14 warrior   

n.勇士，武士，斗士

参考例句：

• The young man is a bold warrior.这个年轻人是个很英勇的武士。
• A true warrior values glory and honor above life.一个真正的勇士珍视荣誉胜过生命。