When I was 10 years old I always needed to be told 当我10岁的时候我总是需要被告知

That I should not be frightened by the fact that we grow old 我不应该由我们老去的事实吓坏

But as the days slipped by I felt the pressing need to cry 但是由我滑倒的日子感到迫切需要哭泣

And I quickly understood exactly why they'd had to lie 我很快就明白究竟为什么他们会不得不说谎

   

In the daylight I could cope, because the sun seemed full of hope 在白天，我可以应付，因为太阳似乎充满了希望

I laughed enough for two grown men and learnt I could tell jokes 我笑够两个成年男子，知道我可以讲笑话

But sadness has a subtle face and then it came to gloat 但悲伤有一个微妙的脸，然后它来幸灾乐祸

We heard about the girl and boy hung by their skipping rope 我们听说过的女孩和男孩挂他们的跳绳

   

Isn't it too hard to conceive 是不是太难想象

Doesn't it bring you to your knees? 不就带你到你的膝盖？

And all I want to do 所有我想做的事

is to float with the river so free. 是浮在河这么自由。

   

Now, fear is not a gentle thing although it has no fists 现在，怕是不是一个温柔的东西，虽然它没有拳头

It crawls down from your thoughts and ties you by your skinny wrists 它爬下来，从你的想法和你绑了你的手腕瘦

Death will take your lips from you so that you cannot kiss 死神将你的嘴唇你，让你不能亲吻

But fear will leave you screaming out for all the love you'll miss 但恐将离开你尖叫了所有的爱，你会错过

   

And I had a friend who thought he knew exactly where he stood 我有一个朋友，谁想到他知道他的确切位置站

A place in heaven's safe for him as long as he did good 天堂是一个安全的地方对他来说，只要他做得很好

But life and love ran through his veins and opened up his mind 但生活和爱情贯穿他的血管，打开了他的心灵

Now he's got his gun but a new terror sings at night 现在，他得到了他的枪，而是一个新的恐怖唱歌，晚上

   

Isn't it too hard to conceive 是不是太难想象

Doesn't it bring you to your knees 不就带你到你的膝盖

And all I want to do is to float with the river so free 所有我想要做的是漂浮在河这么自由

   

And Larkin is the master in this poetry of fear 而拉金是主人在这诗的恐惧

But he could never capture what cried darkly in his ears 但他永远无法捕捉到在他耳边叫道重水复疑无路

And he would understand that though I wrote these words to sing 他会明白，我写这些话唱

These petty verses cannot hope to tell you anything 这些小经文不能希望告诉你什么

   

Isn't it too hard to conceive 是不是太难想象

Doesn't it bring you to your knees 不就带你到你的膝盖

And all I want to do is to float with the river so free 所有我想要做的是漂浮在河这么自由

   

So everyday I'll stop these thoughts before they'll take a hold 所以，每天我会停止这些想法之前，他们将采取暂停

Lying in my bed pretending that I won't grow old 躺在我的床上假装，我不会老去

And maybe when I'm 84 I'll sit and sing this song 也许当我84 ，我会坐下来，唱这首歌

Just hope that if I do then this fear is dead and gone 只是希望，如果我那么做这种担心死了

   

Isn't it too hard to conceive 是不是太难想象

Doesn't it bring you to your knees 不就带你到你的膝盖

And all I want to do is to float with the river so free 所有我想要做的是漂浮在河这么自由