Robert Frost
My long two-pointed ladder’s sticking through a tree
Toward heaven still，
And there’s a barrel that I didn’t fill
Beside it，and there may be two or three
Apples I didn’t pick upon some bough.
But I am done with apple-picking now.
Essence of winter sleep is on the night，
The scent of apples： I am drowsing off.
I cannot rub the strangeness from my sight
I got from looking through a pane of glass
I skimmed this morning from the drinking trough
And held against the world of hoary grass.
It melted，and I let it fall and break.
But I was well
Upon my way to sleep before it fell，
And I could tell
What form my dreaming was about to take.
Magnified apples appear and disappear，
Stem end and blossom end
And every fleck of russet showing clear.
My instep arch not only keeps the ache，
It keeps the pressure of a ladder-round.
I feel the ladder sway as the boughs bend.
And I keep hearing from the cellar bin
The rumbling sound
Of load on load of apples coming in.
For I have had too much
Of apple-picking： I am overtired
Of the great harvest I myself desired.
There were ten thousand thousand fruit to touch，
Cherish in hand，lift down，and not let fall.
For all
That struck the earth，
No matter if not bruised or spiked with stubble，
Went surely to the cider-apple heap
As of no worth.
One can see what will trouble
This sleep of mine，whatever sleep it is.
Were he not gone，
The woodchuck could say whether it’s like his
Long sleep，as I describe its coming on，
Or just some human sleep.
摘苹果后
罗伯特·弗洛斯特
我那长梯穿过一棵苹果树，
朝上指着天，
树旁的苹果筐我还未摘满，
可能还有两三个苹果
还留在枝头。
但摘苹果这活儿算告一段落了
夜晚已经弥漫着冬眠的气息，
那苹果的香气已催我入眠。
我揉揉眼睛，
却揉不掉眼前的奇怪，
这怪景像来自今天早晨，
我从饮水槽里揭起一层冰，
像一块窗玻璃，隔窗望向
一个草枯霜重的世界。
冰融了，我由它掉下、碎掉。
可是没等它落地，我就
快进入梦乡了。
我能告诉你
我的梦以何种形式呈现。
放大的苹果出现又消逝，
蒂端花脐
和每个赤褐色斑都能看见。
我的弓形脚背不但保持着弓形，
而且让梯子在压力下平衡。
我感觉到树枝弯下时梯子摇摆。
我不断地听到从酒窖苹果筐里
传出了倒苹果的
摩擦声。
因为我摘苹果摘得
太多：我已为
自己希望的大丰收弄得疲惫不堪。
有千千万万个苹果要你去摘去摸，
得轻轻地去拿，轻轻地放，
不能往地上掉。只要一掉地，
所有苹果，
不管有没有摔破，还是插上了什么茬儿，
都会因此失去价值
而扔到造酒的苹果堆里。
你们会明白什么会扰乱
我的睡眠，不管我怎么个睡法。
如果土拨鼠没有走开，
听我讲睡梦怎样来到我的身边，
那它就可以说，
这跟它的冬眠倒有些像，
或者说，这不过是人类的冬眠。
背景知识
罗伯特·弗洛斯特 （Robert Frost），美国著名诗人。他堪称是20世纪90年代最受欢迎的诗人之一，他的一生取得了很大的成就：四次荣获普利策奖；被称为美国非官方的桂冠诗人；并在1961年肯尼迪总统就职典礼上被邀请朗诵其诗歌。弗罗斯特是一个生活在现代的传统诗人。其诗的形式和韵律都是严格按照传统的规则进行创作的，因而被称为“交替性诗人”。
这是一首典型的田园诗歌，写的就是一个果农果园辛苦收获他丰收的苹果。这首诗看似一首简单的叙事诗，可其中蕴涵着深刻的哲理和寓意。从接受美学（Receptional Aesthetic）的角度来看，每个人观赏的角度不同，其对其诗的理解也不尽相同。
单词注解
ladder [5lAdE] 梯子
bough [bau] 大树枝
magnified [5mAgnfaid] 放大的
名句诵读
My long two-pointed ladder’s sticking through a tree Toward heaven still，And there’s a barrel that I didn’t fill Beside it，and there may be two or three Apples I didn’t pick upon some bough.
I cannot rub the strangeness from my sight I got from looking through a pane of glass I skimmed this morning from the drinking trough And held against the world of hoary grass.
Were he not gone，The woodchuck could say whether it’s like his Long sleep，as I describe its coming on，Or just some human sleep.