SLEEP-STEALER

Who stole sleep from baby's eyes? I must know.

Clasping her pitcher to her waist, mother went to fetch water from the village near by.

It was noon. The children's playtime was over; the ducks in the pond were silent.

The shepherd boy lay asleep under the shadow of the banyan tree.

The crane stood grave and still in the swamp near the mango grove.

In the meanwhile the Sleep-stealer came and, snatching sleep from baby's eyes, flew away.

When mother came back she found baby travelling the room over on all fours.

Who stole sleep from our baby's eyes? I must know. I must find her and chain her up.

I must look into that dark cave, where, through boulders and scowling stones, trickles a tiny stream.

I must search in the drowsy shade of the bakula grove, where pigeons coo in their corner, and fairies' anklets tinkle in the stillness of starry nights.

In the evening I will peep into the whispering silence of the bamboo forest, where fire-flies squander their light, and will ask every creature I meet, "Can anybody tell me where the Sleep-stealer lives? "

Who stole sleep from baby's eyes? I must know.

Shouldn't I give her a good lesson if I could only catch her!

I would raid her nest and see where she hoards all her stolen sleep.

I would plunder it all, and carry it home.

I would bind her two wings securely, set her on the bank of the river, and then let her play at fishing with a reed among the rushes and water-lilies.

When the marketing is over in the evening, and the village children sit in their mothers' laps, then the night birds will mockingly din her ears with:

"Whose sleep will you steal now? "

偷睡眠者

谁从孩子的眼里把睡眠偷了去呢？我一定要知道。

母亲把她的水罐捧在腰间，走到近村汲水去了。

这是正午的时候。孩子们游戏的时间已经过去了；池中的鸭子沉默无声。

牧童躺在榕树的荫下睡着了。

白鹤庄重而静定的立在檬果树 [1] 边的泥泽里。

就在这个时候，偷睡眠者便来了，她从孩子的两眼里捉住睡眠，便飞去了。

当母亲回来时，她看见孩子四肢着地地在屋里爬着。

谁从孩子的眼里把睡眠偷了去呢？我一定要知道。我定要找到她，把她锁起来。

我定要向那个黑洞里张望着，在这个洞里，有一道小泉从圆的和有绉纹的石上滴下来。

我定要在句蓝 [2] 林中的阴沉沉的树影搜寻去，在这个林里，鸽子在它们住的地方咕咕地叫着，仙女的脚环在繁星满天的静夜里叮地响着。

我要在黄昏时，向竹林的萧萧的静景里窥望着，在这林中，荧火虫闪闪地耗费它们的光明，只要遇见一个人，我便要问道： “谁能告诉我偷睡眠者住在什么地方呢？”

谁从孩子的眼里把睡眠偷了去呢？我一定要知道。

只要我能捉住她，怕不会给她一顿好教训！

我要闯入她的巢穴，看她把所有偷来的睡眠藏在什么地方。

我要把它都夺了来，带回家去。

我要把她的双翼缚得紧紧的，把她放在河岸，然后叫她拿一根芦草，在灯心草 [3] 和睡莲间钓鱼为戏。

当黄昏时，街上已经收了市，村里的孩子们都坐在她母亲的膝上，于是那些夜鸟便讥笑地在她耳边说道：

“你现在还想偷谁的睡眠呢？”

[1] 即芒果树。

[2] “句蓝花” （Bakula）译义作 “醉花” ，学名mimusopselengi。印度传说美女口中吐出香液，此花始开。

[3] 现写作 “灯芯草” 。