新编文集（第15/23页）
Tought me of trees，
Turn I back to my kind，
Worthy as these.
There at least smiles abound，
There discour se trills around，
There，now and then，are found
Life-loyalties.
1887：1896
最初他饱受了生活的烦闷与压迫，想起安宁的自然或者可以给他慰藉，他就走入了一个静定的树林，心想这样的Sylvan peace，这样温柔的境界，当然能够舒解他心里的烦恼。但是他在林中仔细观察时只见：
Great Growths and small
Show them to men akin—
Combatants all！
下面两节列述他所见植物界生存竞争的惨剧，逼迫他急急的逃出了树林，从此再不向自然讨慰安，还是
Turn I back to my kind，
Worthy as these.
There atleast smiles abound.
There discourse trills around，
There，now and then，are found
Life-loyalties.
我们再读他的《希望歌》（Song of Hope）——
Song of Hope
O sweet Tomorrow！
A fter today
There will away
This sense ofsorrow.
Then let us borrow
Hope，for a gleaming
Soon will be streaming
Dimmed by no gray—
No gray！
While the winds wing us
Sighs from the gone，
Nearer to dawn
Minute-beats bring us；
When there will sing us
Larks，of a glory
Waiting our story
Further anon—
Anon！
Doff the black token，
Don the red shoon，
Right and retune
Viol-strings broken；
Null the words spoken
In speeches of rueing，
To-morrow shines soon—
Shines soon！
再念他轻灵如竹林里流水声的小调——
Firstor Last（Song）
If grief come early
Joy comes late，
If joy come early
Grief will wait；
Aye，my dear and tender！
Wise ones joy then early
While the cheeks are red，
Banish grief till surly
Time has dulled their dread.
And joy being ours
Ere youth has flown，
The later hours
May find us gone；
Aye，my dear and tender！
这差不多到了我们“行乐及时”的老话了。
但他也有时几于疑问他自己的疑问，有时他专看黑影的视觉，竟瞥到了刹那间的光明，他几于跳出了他的灰色的“迷圈”。在The Darkling Thrush那首诗里，例如，他就逢到了这样一个境界：大冷天天惨地暗的，一些生气都寻不着，干确的地皮僵直的横着像是这“世纪的尸体”，低压的云与悲嚎的风像他的帐幕与哭声，在这个光景里，忽然
A voice arose amony
The bleak twigs overhead
Ina full-hearted even song of joy illimited；
Anaged thrush，frail，gaunt and small，
In blast-beruf fled plume，
Had chosen thus to fling his soul
Upon the growing gloom.
Solittle cause for carollings of such estatic sound
Was written on terrestrial things
After or nigh around，
That I could think there trembled through
Hishappy good-night air
Some blessed hope，where of he knew
And I was unaware.
——Dec.1900
在那样荒凉的一幅冬景里，那只“上年纪的冬雀”，正应得与他的同伴噤声的躲在巢里守寒，即使要放歌声，他也得怨诉他的饥与寒，或是咒诅天地的沉闷——他哪里来的无限的欢欣？那雀儿，欢畅的歌声，引起我们诗人的疑问：难道在这寒惨的气氲里，果真有什么可喜的消息，无形的传布着，虽则我看不见听不出，也许雀儿他倒知道的呢？所以我们长于咒诅的诗翁，也一度取下了他的眼镜，仔细的拂拭个干净，疑心玻璃上积着的尘埃或水气牵强了他所见的事物，冤了他的观察！
六
读哈代的诗，不仅感觉到That which mattered most could not be的悲哀，并且仿佛看得见时间的大喙，凶狠的张着，人生里难得有刹那的断片的欢娱、安慰与光明，他总是不容情的吞了下去，只留下黑影似的记忆，在寂寞的风雨夜，在寂寞的睡梦里，刑苦你的心灵，嘲笑你的希望。
哈代老年的诗，很多是旧情与旧景的追忆；他仿佛是独立在光阴不尽的长桥上，吹弄着最动人的笛音，从雾霾重裹的一端，招回憧憧的鬼影，这是三十年前灯下的微笑，这是四十年前半夜里待车时的雨声，这是被现实剐残了的理想，这是某处山谷中回响的松涛，这是半凉了的美感，这是想象遗忘了的婴孩……
我这样录他这类性质最有名的Beyond the Last Lamp：——
Beyond The Last Lamp
（Near Tooting Common，London）
（1）
While rain，witheve in partnership，
Descended darkly，drip，drip，drip，
Beyond the last lone lamp I passed
Walking slowly，whis peringsadly，
Two linked loiterers，wan，downcast：
Some heavy thought constrained each face，
And blinded them to time and space.
（2）
The pair seemed lovers，yet absorbed
In mental scenes no longer orbed
Bylove’s young rays.Each Countenance
As it slowly，as it sadly
Caughtthe lamplight’s yellow glance，
Held insuspense a misery，
At things which had been or mightbe.
（3）
When I retrod that watery way
Some hours beyond the droop of day，
Still I found pacing there the twain
Just as slowly，just as sadly，
Heedless of the night and rain.
One could but wonder who they were
And what wild woe detained them there.
（4）
Though thirty years of blur and blot
Have slid since I beheld that spot，
And saw in curious converse there
Moving slowly，moving sadly，
That myste rious tragic pair，
Its olden look may linger on——
All but the couple； they have gone.
（5）
Whither？who knows，indeed，and yet
To me，when nights are weird and wet，
Without those comrades there at tryst
Creeping slowly，creeping sadly，
That lone lane does not exist.
There they seem brooding on their pain，
And will，while such a lane remain.
这真是诗人里的代珈（Degas）！如其我们在代珈的画里——跳舞场艳色灯光下的裙影与捷舞，枯坐在咖啡馆外罪恶与懊丧的面色——看出了文明社会败象的警告；我们在哈代这首诗的意境里——荒凉的街道，惨白的街灯，淅沥的雨声，一双私语着的人影，在这悲惨的背景里，迟缓的，永远的徘徊着——岂不也感悟到更深刻的意义，在诗的音节里潜隐着？