LXXXIII

 I

I feel that all the stars shine in me. The world breaks into my life like a flood.

 

The flowers blossom in my body. All the youthfulness of land and water smokes like an incense¹ in my heart; and the breath of all things plays on my thoughts as on a flute².

 

II

When the world sleeps I come to your door.

 

The stars are silent, and I am afraid to sing.

 

I wait and watch, till your shadow passes by the balcony of night and I return with a full heart.

 

Then in the morning I sing by the roadside;

 

The flowers in the hedge give me answer and the morning air listens,

 

The travellers suddenly stop and look in my face, thinking I have called them by their names.

 

III

Keep me at your door ever attending to your wishes, and let me go about in your Kingdom accepting your call.

 

Let me not sink and disappear in the depth of languor³.

 

Let not my life be worn out to tatters by penury⁴ of waste.

 

Let not those doubts encompass⁵ me,—the dust of distractions⁶.

 

Let me not pursue many paths to gather many things.

 

Let me not bend my heart to the yoke⁷ of the many.

 

Let me hold my head high in the courage and pride of being your servant.

 

1 incense   

v.激怒；n.香，焚香时的烟，香气

参考例句：

• This proposal will incense conservation campaigners.这项提议会激怒环保人士。
• In summer,they usually burn some coil incense to keep away the mosquitoes.夏天他们通常点香驱蚊。

2 flute   

n.长笛；v.吹笛

参考例句：

• He took out his flute, and blew at it.他拿出笛子吹了起来。
• There is an extensive repertoire of music written for the flute.有很多供长笛演奏的曲目。

3 languor   

n.无精力，倦怠

参考例句：

• It was hot,yet with a sweet languor about it.天气是炎热的，然而却有一种惬意的懒洋洋的感觉。
• She,in her languor,had not troubled to eat much.她懒懒的，没吃多少东西。

4 penury   

n.贫穷，拮据

参考例句：

• Hardship and penury wore him out before his time.受穷受苦使他未老先衰。
• A succession of bad harvest had reduced the small farmer to penury.连续歉收使得这个小农场主陷入了贫困境地。

5 encompass   

vt.围绕，包围；包含，包括；完成

参考例句：

• The course will encompass physics,chemistry and biology.课程将包括物理、化学和生物学。
• The project will encompass rural and underdeveloped areas in China.这项工程将覆盖中国的农村和不发达地区。

6 distractions   

n.使人分心的事[人]( distraction的名词复数 )；娱乐，消遣；心烦意乱；精神错乱

参考例句：

• I find it hard to work at home because there are too many distractions. 我发觉在家里工作很难，因为使人分心的事太多。
• There are too many distractions here to work properly. 这里叫人分心的事太多，使人无法好好工作。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 yoke   

n.轭；支配；v.给...上轭，连接，使成配偶

参考例句：

• An ass and an ox,fastened to the same yoke,were drawing a wagon.驴子和公牛一起套在轭上拉车。
• The defeated army passed under the yoke.败军在轭门下通过。