一个古老的叙事诗， 强盗爱上了小客栈老板的女儿，但被官兵追捕，美丽的女子用自己的鲜血警示了爱人。故事满足了我们对爱情的美好想象。强盗最终折返回来，与爱人共赴黄泉...


The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees
风是漆黑的激流，正在树林间迸裂
The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon the cloudy seas
月亮是魔鬼的帆船，正被掷向阴霾笼罩的海面
The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor
道路是月光编织的丝带，正漂浮于紫色的荒野
And the highwayman came riding,
强盗纵马而来
Riding, riding,
飞奔 飞奔
The highwayman came riding, up to the old inn-door.
强盗纵马而来，来到这古老的小客栈门前


He'd a French cocked hat on his forehead, a bunch of lace at his chin,
他的前额压着法兰西三角帽，下颚饰带飘飘
A coat of claret velvet, and breeches of brown doe-skin;
一件红如葡萄酒的天鹅绒外衣和褐色鹿皮马裤
They fitted with never a wrinkle; his boots were up to the thigh!
衣服没有一丝褶皱 靴子长至股间
And he rode with a jewelled twinkle,
他伴随着宝石闪烁的光彩纵马飞奔
His pistol butts a-twinkle,
他的枪柄闪烁
His rapier hilt a-twinkle, under the jewelled sky.
他的剑柄闪烁 在镶满宝石的夜空下


Over the cobbles he clattered nd clashed in the dark innyard,
黑色的客栈花园里 他的脚步在卵石上擦出烦乱的声响
And he tapped with his whip on the shutters, but all was locked and barred;
他用马鞭敲打窗户 但是所有的门窗紧闭
He whistled a tune to the window, and who should be waiting there
他对着窗户轻吹一曲 谁会在那里等他？
But the landlord's black-eyed daughter,
那是房东的女儿 黑眼睛的姑娘
Bess, the landlord's daughter,
贝丝 房东的女儿
Plaiting a dark red love-knot into her long black hair.
正在用黑色的长发红色的丝线编织一个纠缠的爱之结


"One kiss, my bonny sweetheart, I'm after a prize tonight,
一个吻 我美丽的爱人 今晚我要追逐一些财宝
But I shall be back with the yellow gold before the morning light;
但是黎明前我会满载黄金而归
Yet if they press me sharply, and harry me through the day,
如果他们让我艰于应付 纠缠我一整天
Then look for me by the moonlight,
那就在月光中等候
Watch for me by the moonlight,
在月光里为我守候
I'll come to thee by the moonlight, though hell should bar the way.
我会伴随月光而来 来到你身边 就算那地狱般的困境让我插翅难飞


He rose upright in the stirrups; he scarce could reach her hand
他站起来 踏上马镫 在马背上他几乎触不到她的手
But she loosened her hair i' the casement! His face burnt like a brand
但是她在窗扉前解开长发 他的脸燃烧起来 红如烙铁
As the black cascade of perfume came tumbling over his breast;
当迷人的香气如同黑色的小瀑布一样婉转的流上他的胸膛
And he kissed its waves in the moonlight,
他在月光下亲吻了黑色的波浪
(Oh, sweet black waves in the moonlight!)
噢 月光下 甜蜜的黑色波浪
Then he tugged at his rein in the moonlight, and galloped away to the west.
然后 他勒紧手中的缰绳 在月光中向西方疾驰而去


He did not come at the dawning; he did not come at noon,
他在黎明并没有归来 他在中午也没有归来
And out of the tawny sunset, before the rise o' the moon,
茶色的黄昏后 月亮升起前
When the road was a gypsy's ribbon, looping the purple moor,
路像吉普赛的丝带 缠绕着紫色的荒野
A red-coat troop came marching,
一群红衣士兵列队前行
Marching, marching
进军 进军
King George's men came marching, up to the old inn-door.
乔治王的士兵列队前行 直至这座古老的小客栈门前


They said no word to the landlord, they drank his ale instead,
他们不发一言 却喝了房东的酒
But they gagged his daughter and bound her to the foot of her narrow bed;
他们嘲弄着他的女儿 并把她绑在坟墓般的床脚上
Two of them knelt at the casement, with muskets at their side!
两个士兵跪在窗扉前 凭枪而立
there was death at every window
到处是死亡的窗户
and hell at one dark window;
地狱正在黑色窗户的另一端
For Bess could see, through the casement,
贝丝能看到的 只是窗扉之外
The road that he would ride.
那条他应该经过的路


They had tied her up to attention, with many a sniggering jest;
他们绑紧她 并调戏般的嘲弄
They had bound a musket beside her, with the barrel beneath her breast!
他们在她身边绑了一杆枪 在她胸口下放了一个桶
"now keep good watch!" And they kissed her.
好好站岗 他们轻吻她
She heard the dead man say
她听到那个男人说
"Look for me by the moonlight
那就在月光里等待
Watch for me by the moonlight
在月光下为我守候
I'll come to thee by the moonlight, though hell should bar the way!"
我会伴随月光而来 来到你身边 就算那地狱般的境地让我插翅难飞


She twisted her hands behind her, but all the knots held good!
她双手在身后扭动 可是 所有的绳结那么牢固
She writhed her hands till her fingers were wet with sweat or blood!
她不停的翻转手腕 直到手指满是汗水和鲜血
They stretched and strained in the darkness and the hours crawled by like years!
它们在黑夜里辗转折磨 历时如年
Till, now, on the stroke of midnight,
直到 现在 午夜的钟声响起
Cold, on the stroke of midnight,
寒冷 午夜的钟声响起
The tip of one finger touched it!
她的指尖终于触到了扳机
The trigger at least was hers!
至少是为她自己准备的扳机


Tlot-tlot! Had they heard it? The horse-hoofs were ringing clear
特-特 他们听到了么 马蹄声清脆响亮
Tlot-tlot, in the distance! Were they deaf that they did not hear?
特=特 声音自远方而来 难道他们都聋了而没有听到？
Down the ribbon of moonlight, over the brow of the hill,
冲下月光编织的丝带 爬上眉峰凝成的小山
The highwayman came riding,
强盗纵马而来
Riding, riding!
飞奔 飞奔
The red-coats looked to their priming!
红衣士兵在照看火药
She stood up straight and still!
她正静静的站立


Tlot in the frosty silence! Tlot, in the echoing night!
马蹄声响在严冬的沉寂里 马蹄声响在夜晚的回声中
Nearer he came and nearer! Her face was like a light!
他越来越近了 她的脸上有了明亮的光彩
Her eyes grew wide for a moment! She drew one last deep breath,
她睁大眼睛 最后一次深深呼吸
Then her finger moved in the moonlight,
然后把手指移入月光里
Her musket shattered the moonlight,
她的步枪撕碎了月光
Shattered her breast in the moonlight and warned him with her death.
撕碎了她的胸口 就在月光下 她用死亡来向他示警


He turned; he spurred to the west; he did not know she stood
他掉转马头 折回西方 他并不知道
bowed, with her head o'er the musket, drenched with her own red blood!
她正站立如弓 头倚步枪 血染霓裳
Not till the dawn he heard it; his face grew grey to hear
黎明之前 终于知道了事情的经过 他面如死灰
How Bess, the landlord's daughter,
噢 贝丝 房东的女儿
The landlord's black-eyed daughter,
房东的女儿 黑眼睛的姑娘
Had watched for her love in the moonlight, and died in the darkness there.
曾经在月光下守望着自己的爱情 然后在黑暗中死去


Back, he spurred like a madman, shrieking a curse to the sky
掉转马头 他像疯子一样狂奔 诅咒的尖叫刺破天空
With the white road smoking behind him and his rapier brandished high!
他身后白色的道路飘摇如烟 他挥舞长剑 直刺青天
Blood-red were the spurs i' the golden noon; wine-red was his velvet coat,
血红色的是马刺 镶嵌在金色的月亮中 酒红色的是他的天鹅绒外衣
when they shot him down on the highway,
当他们在路上将他射杀
Down like a dog on the highway,
像条狗一样的躺倒在大路上
And he lay in his blood on the highway, with the bunch of lace at his throat.
他在倒在血泊里 喉边飘散着一束饰带


Still of a winter's night, they say, when the wind is in the trees,
寂静的一个冬季寒夜 人们说 当风是漆黑的激流正在树林间迸裂
When the moon is a ghostly galleon, tossed upon the cloudy seas,
当月亮是魔鬼的帆船正被掷向阴霾笼罩的海面
When the road is a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor,
当道路是月光编织的丝带正漂浮于紫色的荒野
A highwayman comes riding,
一个强盗纵马而来
Riding, riding,
飞奔 飞奔
A highwayman comes riding, up to the old inn-door.
一个强盗纵马而来 来到这古老的小客栈门前