3

In the morning I cast my net into the sea.

I dragged up from the dark abyss things of strange aspect and strange beauty—some shone like a smile, some glistened like tears, and some were flushed like the cheeks of a bride.

When with the day's burden I went home, my love was sitting in the garden idly tearing the leaves of a flower.

I hesitated for a moment, and then placed at her feet all that I had dragged up, and stood silent.

She glanced at them and said, "What strange things are these? I know not of what use they are! "

I bowed my head in shame and thought, "I have not fought for these, I did not buy them in the market; they are not fit gifts for her."

Then the whole night through I flung them one by one into the street.

In the morning travellers came; they picked them up and carried them into far countries.

早晨我把網撒在海里。

我從黑暗的深淵里拉出奇形奇美的東西——有些像微笑般閃亮，有些像眼淚般閃光，有些像新娘的雙頰般暈紅。

當我帶著一天的負擔回到家的時候，我的愛人正坐在花園里悠閑地扯著花的葉子。

我遲疑了一會兒，就把我撈的一切放在了她的腳前，沉默地站著。

她瞥了一眼說：“這是些什么怪東西？不知道這些東西有什么用！”

我羞愧地低下頭，心想：“我并沒有為這些去奮斗，這些也不是從市場買來的；這不是送給她的禮物。”

整個晚上我把這些東西一件一件地丟到了街上。

早晨行路人過來，他們把這些撿起帶到遠方去了。