丁尼生八十高齡時所作的著名短詩《過沙洲》(1889),是他最好的詩之一。借在暮色蒼茫的漲潮中,駕小舟越過沙洲,抒發以恬靜心境迎接領航者即上帝。詩人對死神來臨的預感,令人驚異。
Crossing the Bar
Sunset and evening star,
And one clear call for me!
And may there be no moaning of the bar,
When I put out to sea,
But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
Too full for sound and foam,
When that which drew from out the boundless deep
Turns again home.
Twilight and evening bell,
And after that the dark!
And may there be no sadness of farewell,
When I embark;
For tho’ from out our bourne of Time and Place
The flood may bear me far,
I hope to see my Pilot face to face
When I have cross’d the bar.
日西落,晚星出,
一個呼聲喚我多清楚!
我將出海去
河口沙洲別悲哭。
海深廣,洋空闊,
潮來深海總須回頭流,
滿潮水悠悠,
流水似睡靜無皺。
暮色降,晚鍾起,
鍾聲之後便是幽幽夜!
我將上船去,
別離時分莫哽咽。
天地小,人生短,
這潮卻能載我去遠方;
過了沙洲後,
但願當麵見領航。
(譯者未詳)