昨天、今天和明天

我对我的朋友说："你看见她靠在那个男人的手臂上。可她靠在我的手臂上，还不过是昨天的事哩。一我的朋友道："而明天她就要靠在我的手臂上了。"

我说："瞧她紧挨着坐在他的身边。可她紧挨着坐在我的身边，还不过是昨天的事哩。"

我的朋友道："而明天她就要坐在我的身边了。"

我说："瞧，她从他的杯子里喝酒，而昨天她是从我的林子里喝酒的啊。"

我的朋友道："明天她就要喝我杯子里的酒了。"

我接着说道："瞧她怀着深情，以温柔驯服的眼睛，凝望着他哩，昨天她就是这样凝望着我的啊。"

我的朋友道："明天她凝望的人，便将是我了。"

我说："你可听见她凑在他耳朵上低声哼哼爱情之歌吗？可她凑在我的耳朵上低声哼哼这些爱情之歌，还不过是昨天的事啊。"

我的朋友道："明天她就要凑在我的耳朵上哼这些歌了。"

我说："瞧呀，她正在拥抱他哪。可她拥抱我，还不过是昨天的事哩。"

我的朋友道："她明天会拥抱我呢。"

于是我说道："好一个奇怪的妇人。"

然而我的朋友答道："她仿佛生命，为众人所有；她仿佛死亡，征服众人；她仿佛永恒，包罗众人万象。"

Yesterday, Today And Tomorrow

I said to my friend, "You see her leaning upon the arm of that man. It was but yesterday that she leaned thus upon my arm."

And my friend said, "And tomorrow she will lean upon mine."

I said, "Behold her sitting close at his side. It was but yesterday she sat close beside me."

And he answered, "Tomorrow she will sit beside me."

I said, "See, she drinks wine from his cup, and yesterday she drank from mine."

And he said, "Tomorrow, from my cup."

Then I said, "See how she gazes at him with love, and with yielding eyes. Yesterday she gazed thus upon me."

And my friend said, "It will be upon me she gazes tomorrow."

I said, "Do you not hear her now murmuring songs of love into his ears? Those very songs of love she murmured but yesterday into my ears."

And my friend said, "And tomorrow she will murmur them in mine."

I said, "Why see, she is embracing him. It was but yesterday that she embraced me."

And my friend said, "She will embrace me tomorrow."

Then I said, "What a strange woman."

But he answered, "She is like unto life, possessed by all men; and like death, she conquers all men; and like eternity, she enfolds all men."