When the Frost is on the Punkin

詹姆斯。惠特康姆‧賴利(1849─1916)生長在印地安那州的格林菲爾德。他在那裏上完幾所公學後成了一名「馬夏菲六級講師」(這是當時人們可以得到的最高學銜)。他周遊印地安那各地，為廣告商標作畫，參加專賣藥的巡迴表演。他在一路上收集民間文學，觀察研究各地方言，後來成了印地安那幾家報社的新聞記者。l 877年，他因說笑行詐，寫了一首據稱是愛德華‧艾倫‧波所作的詩而被解聘。接著，他在《印地安那波利斯日報》上首次用印地安那方言創作了許多描寫日常生活的詩歌，其中的一部分詩歌曾經於1883年在一本書名叫《古老的深灣‧外十一首》的詩集中發表。他成了文學界的著名人物。由於他的詩歌中具有喜悅歡快、感情質樸和引發懷舊思緒的情調，所以許多人競相模仿起他的詩作。賴利最著名的詩歌就是《霜降南瓜》。

霜降南瓜草成垛，
火雞闊步叫咯咯，
珠雞母雞聲聲喚，
雄雞籬上唱讚歌；
哦，此刻心情真舒暢，
迎著旭日步快活，
沒戴帽子去餵牲口，
霜降南瓜草成垛。

炎夏已去秋送爽，
清新空氣陶醉我；
只恨蜂鳥不歌唱，
又怨枝頭欠花朵。
我今卻有秋色美，
景色怡神晨霧薄，
秀麗山河勝似畫，
霜降南瓜草成垛。

玉米穗幹響沙沙，
風吹葉黃橫斜錯；
地裏殘株孤零零，
倉上五穀神賜多；
草堆地頭人歇屋，
馬下棚廄料上垛！
哦，我心似鐘呼呼跳，
霜降南瓜草成垛！

挽回蘋果堆滿地，
有紅有黃實在多；
切碎打漿做成糊，
幹完這些女人活。
此情此景寫不盡，
天使下凡來見我──
我留他們全住下──
霜降南瓜草成垛！

When the frost is on the punkin and the
       fodder's in the shock,
And you hear the kyouck and gobble of the
       struttin' turkey-cock
And the clackin' of the guineys, and the
       cluckin' of the hens,
And the rooster's hallylooyer as he tiptoes on
        the fence;
O, it's then's the times a feller is a-feelin' at his
        best,
With the risin' sun to greet him from a night of
        peaceful rest,
As he leaves the house, bareheaded, and goes
        out to feed the stock,
When the frost is on the punkin and the
        fodder's in the shock.
They's something kindo' harty-like about the
       atmusfere
When the heat of summer's over and the
       coolin' fall is here－
Of course we miss the flowers, and the
       blossums on the trees,
And the mumble of the hummin'-birds and
       buzzin' of the bees;
But the air's so appetizin'; and the landscape
       through the haze
Of a crisp and sunny morning of the airly
       autumn days
Is a pictur' that no painter has the colorin' to
       mock－
When the frost is on the punkin and the
       fodder's in the shock.
The husky, rusty russel of the tossels of the
       corn,
And the raspin' of the tangled leaves, as golden
       as the morn;
The stubble in the furries－kindo' lonesome-
       like, but still
A-preachin' sermons to us of the barns they
       growed to fill;
The strawstack in the medder, and the reaper
        in the shed;
The bosses in theyr stalls below－the clover
        overhead!－
O, it sets my hart a-clickin' like the tickin' of a
        clock,
When the frost is on the punkin and the
        fodder's in the shock!
Then your apples all is gethered, and the ones a
       feller keeps
Is poured around the cellar-floor in red and
       yeller heaps;
And your cider-makin' 's over, and your
       wimmern-folks is through
With their mince and apple-butter, and theyr
       souse and saussage, too!
I don't know how to tell it－but ef sich a thing
       could be
As the Angels wantin' boardin', and they'd call
       around on me－
I'd want to 'commodate 'em－all the whole-
       indurin' flock－
When the frost is on the punkin and the
       fodder's in the shock!

霜降南瓜 When the Frost is on the Pumpkin

霜降南瓜
When the Frost is on the Pumpkin