A Valentine’s Song

MOTLEY I count the only wear

That suits, in this mixed world, the truly wise,

Who boldly smile upon despair

And shake their bells in Grandam Grundy’s eyes.

Singers should sing with such a goodly cheer

That the bare listening should make strong like wine,

At this unruly time of year,

The Feast of Valentine.

We do not now parade our “oughts”

And “shoulds” and motives¹ and beliefs in God.

Their life lies all indoors; sad thoughts

Must keep the house, while gay thoughts go abroad,

Within we hold the wake for hopes deceased;

But in the public streets, in wind or sun,

Keep open, at the annual feast,

The puppet-booth of fun.

Our powers, perhaps, are small to please,

But even negro-songs and castanettes,

Old jokes and hackneyed repartees

Are more than the parade of vain regrets.

Let Jacques stand Wert(h)ering by the wounded deer —

We shall make merry, honest friends of mine,

At this unruly time of year,

The Feast of Valentine.

I know how, day by weary day,

Hope fades, love fades, a thousand pleasures fade.

I have not trudged² in vain that way

On which life’s daylight darkens, shade by shade.

And still, with hopes decreasing, griefs increased,

Still, with what wit I have shall I, for one,

Keep open, at the annual feast,

The puppet-booth of fun.

I care not if the wit be poor,

The old worn motley stained with rain and tears,

If but the courage still endure

That filled and strengthened hope in earlier years;

If still, with friends averted³, fate severe,

A glad, untainted cheerfulness be mine

To greet the unruly time of year,

The Feast of Valentine.

Priest, I am none of thine, and see

In the perspective of still hopeful youth

That Truth shall triumph over thee —

Truth to one’s self — I know no other truth.

I see strange days for thee and thine, O priest,

And how your doctrines⁴, fallen one by one,

Shall furnish at the annual feast

The puppet-booth of fun.

Stand on your putrid⁵ ruins — stand,

White neck-clothed bigot, fixedly⁶ the same,

Cruel with all things but the hand,

Inquisitor in all things but the name.

Back, minister of Christ and source of fear —

We cherish freedom — back with thee and thine

From this unruly time of year,

The Feast of Valentine.

Blood thou mayest spare; but what of tears?

But what of riven households, broken faith —

Bywords that cling through all men’s years

And drag them surely down to shame and death?

Stand back, O cruel man, O foe⁷ of youth,

And let such men as hearken not thy voice

Press freely up the road to truth,

The King’s highway of choice.

1 motives   

n.动机，目的( motive的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• to impeach sb's motives 怀疑某人的动机
• His motives are unclear. 他的用意不明。

2 trudged   

vt.& vi.跋涉，吃力地走（trudge的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He trudged the last two miles to the town. 他步履艰难地走完最后两英里到了城里。
• He trudged wearily along the path. 他沿着小路疲惫地走去。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 averted   

防止，避免( avert的过去式和过去分词 )； 转移

参考例句：

• A disaster was narrowly averted. 及时防止了一场灾难。
• Thanks to her skilful handling of the affair, the problem was averted. 多亏她对事情处理得巧妙，才避免了麻烦。

4 doctrines   

n.教条( doctrine的名词复数 )；教义；学说；（政府政策的）正式声明

参考例句：

• To modern eyes, such doctrines appear harsh, even cruel. 从现代的角度看，这样的教义显得苛刻，甚至残酷。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• His doctrines have seduced many into error. 他的学说把许多人诱入歧途。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 putrid   

adj.腐臭的；有毒的；已腐烂的；卑劣的

参考例句：

• To eat putrid food is liable to get sick.吃了腐败的食物容易生病。
• A putrid smell drove us from the room.一股腐臭的气味迫使我们离开这房间。

6 fixedly   

adv.固定地；不屈地，坚定不移地

参考例句：

• He stared fixedly at the woman in white. 他一直凝视着那穿白衣裳的女人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The great majority were silent and still, looking fixedly at the ground. 绝大部分的人都不闹不动，呆呆地望着地面。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

7 foe   

n.敌人，仇敌

参考例句：

• He knew that Karl could be an implacable foe.他明白卡尔可能会成为他的死敌。
• A friend is a friend;a foe is a foe;one must be clearly distinguished from the other.敌是敌，友是友，必须分清界限。