工具製造所，小麥的堆積地，

    鐵路的玩弄者和國家的運輸所；

    急躁暴烈，魁梧結實，吵吵鬧鬧，

    你這肩寬膀闊的城市：

    他們告訴我，你心術不正。我相信

    他們，因為我曾看見你那濃妝豔抹的女人在煤氣燈

        下勾引農村來的青年。

    他們又告訴我，你心思邪惡，我答道：

        是的，一點不錯；我見過強盜殺人，自由地逃

        走，再去殺人。

    他們又告訴我，你野蠻殘酷，我的回答是：

        在婦女和孩子的臉上，我看到了飢餓的

        菜色。

    這樣回答後，我又向那些嘲笑我這都市的人們，反

        唇相譏道：

    來吧，給我舉出另一個城市，他生氣勃勃，

        粗壯狡獪，也同樣高傲地昂首高歌。

    在堆積職業的勞作中間投之以怪有魅力的詛咒，這

        是個高大魯莽的重擊手與柔和的小城市形成的鮮

        明對照。

    兇猛得像條舔嘴吐舌、準備戰鬥的狗，狡獪得像個

        與荒原搏鬥的蠻人，

            光著腦袋，

            揮舞鐵鍬，

            破壞不停，

            設計不止，

            建造、破壞、重建，

    頭上一片煙霧，嘴上儘是塵埃，

        露出白牙轟笑著，

    在可怕的命運重壓下，像年輕人一樣轟笑著，

    轟笑著，甚至像個從沒輸過的傻鬥士，

    自吹自擂，哈哈笑，手腕下面是人民的脈搏，肋骨

        下邊是人民的心臟跳躍。

                        轟笑著！

    轟笑著年輕人的笑：急躁暴烈，粗重沙啞，吵吵鬧

        鬧；半裸身子，汗水淋淋，狂妄自負，因為是世

        界的屠宰場，工具製造所，小麥的堆積地，鐵路

        的玩弄者和國家的運輸所。

Hog Butcher for the World,

Tool maker, Stacker of Wheat,

Player with Railroads and the Nation's Freight

       Handler;

Stormy, husky, brawling,

City of the Big Shoulders:

They tell me you are wicked and I believe

       them, for I have seen your painted

       women under the gas lamps luring the

       farm boys.

And they tell me you are crooked and I answer:

       Yes, it is true I have seen the gunman

       kill and go free to kill again.

And they tell me you are brutal and my reply

       is: On the faces of women and children I

       have seen the marks of wanton hunger.

And having answered so I turn once more to

       those who sneer at this my city, and I

       give them back the sneer and say to

       them:

Come and show me another city with lifted

       head singing so proud to be alive and

       coarse and strong and cunning.

Flinging magnetic curses amid the toil of piling

       job on job, here is a tall bold slugger set

       vivid against the little soft cities;

Fierce as a dog with tongue lapping for action,

       cunning as a savage pitted against the

       wilderness,

               Bareheaded,

               Shoveling,

               Wrecking,

               Planning,

               Building, breaking, rebuilding,

Under the smoke, dust all over his mouth,

        laughing with white teeth,

Under the terrible burden of destiny laughing

        as a young man laughs,

Laughing even as an ignorant fighter laughs

        who has never lost a battle,

Bragging and laughing that under his wrist is

        the pulse, and under his ribs the heart of

        the people,

                     Laughing!

Laughing the stormy, husky, brawling laughter

        of Youth, half-naked, sweating, proud to

        be Hog Butcher, Tool Maker, Stacker of

        Wheat, Player with Railroads and Freight

        Handler to the Nation.