Late in the evening the poet came home. He had been to a concert， and had been quite enchanted with the admirableadmirable adj.令人钦佩的， 值的赞美的， 绝妙的， 极好的 performance of a famous violin player whom he had heard there. The performer had produced from his instrumentinstrument n.工具， 手段， 器械， 器具， 手段 a richness of tone that sometimes sounded like tinkling waterdrops or rolling pearls； sometimes like the birds twittering in chorus， and then rising and swelling in sound like the wind through the firtrees. The poet felt as if his own heart were weeping， but in tones of melodymelody n.悦耳的音调 like the sound of a womans voice.
晚上很晚的时候，诗人回来了。他参加了一个音乐会，听了一位杰出小提琴家的演奏，而且还被这令人钦佩的表演迷住了。这位音乐家在他的乐器上奏出惊人的丰富的调子，一会儿像滚珠似的水点，一会儿像在啾啾合唱的小鸟，一会儿像吹过枞树林的萧萧的风声。他觉得听到自己的心在哭泣，但是在和谐地哭泣，像一个女人的悦耳的声音一样。
It seemed not only the strings， but every part of the instrument from which these sounds were produced. It was a wonderful performance and a difficult piece， and yet the bow seemed to glide across the strings so easily that it was as if any one could do it who tried.
似乎不仅是琴弦在发出声音，而且是弦柱，甚至琴梢和共鸣盘在发出声音。这是一次很惊人的演奏！虽然乐器不容易演奏，但是弓却轻松地在弦上来回滑动着，像游戏似的。你很可能以为任何人都可以拉它几下子。
Even the violin and the bow appeared to perform independently of their master who guided them. It was as if soul and spirit had been breathed into the instrument， so the audience forgot the performerperformer n.表演者 in the beautiful sounds he produced. Not so the poet， he remembered him， and named him， and wrote down his thoughts on the subject.
小提琴似乎自己在发出声音，弓也似乎自己在滑动——全部音乐似乎就是这两件东西奏出来的。人们忘记了那位掌握它们和给予它们生命与灵魂的艺术家。人们把这位艺术家忘掉了，但是这位诗人记得他，写下了他的名字，也写下了他的感想：
“How foolish it would be for the violin and the bow to boast of their performance， and yet we men often commitcommit vt.犯(错误)， 干(坏事)， 把……交托给， 提交， 答应负责 that follyfolly n.愚蠢， 荒唐事， 轻松歌舞剧， 讽刺剧， 傻念头. The poet， the artist， the man of science in his laboratory， the general，—we all do it， and yet we are only the instruments which the Almighty uses. To him alone the honor is due. We have nothing of ourselves of which we should be proud.” Yes， this is what the poet wrote down. He wrote it in the form of a parableparable n.寓言， 比喻， and called it “The Master and the Instruments.”
“提琴和弓只会吹嘘自己的成就，这是多么愚蠢啊！然而我们人常常干这种傻事——诗人、艺人、科学发明家、将军。我们表现出自高自大，而我们大家却不过是上帝所演奏的乐曲罢了。光荣应该属于他！我们没有什么东西可以值得骄傲。”是的，诗人写下这样的话，作为寓言把它写下来的，并且把它题名为：艺术家和乐器。
“That is what you have got， madam，” said the pen to the inkstand， when the two were alone again. “Did you hear him read aloud what I had written down？”
“这是讲给你听的呀，夫人！”当旁边没有旁人的时候，笔对墨水壶说。“你没有听到他在大声朗读我所写的东西吗？”
“Yes， what I gave you to write，” retorted the inkstand. “That was a cut at you because of your conceit. To think that you could not understand that you were being quizzed. I gave you a cut from within me. Surely I must know my own satiresatire n.讽刺文学，讽刺.”
“是的，这就是我交给你、让你写下的东西呀，”墨水壶说。“这正是对你自高自大的一种讽刺！别人挖苦你，你却不知道！我从心里向你射出一箭——当然我是知道我的恶意的！”
“Inkpitcher！” cried the pen. “Writingstick！” retorted the inkstand.
“你这个墨水罐子！”笔出离愤怒地说。“你这根笔杆子！”墨水壶反击道。
And each of them felt satisfied that he had given a good answer. It is pleasing to be convinced that you have settled a matter by your reply. It is something to make you sleep well， and they both slept well upon it. But the poet did not sleep. Thoughts rose up within him like the tones of the violin， falling like pearls， or rushing like the strong wind through the forest. He understood his own heart in these thoughts. They were as a ray from the mind of the Great Master of all minds.
它们各自都相信自己回击得很好，回击得漂亮。这种想法使得它们感到愉快——它们可以抱着这种愉快的心情去睡觉，而它们也就睡着了。不过那位诗人并没有睡去。他心里涌出许多思想，像提琴的调子，像滚动的珠子，像吹过森林的萧萧风声。他在这些思想中能够触觉到自己的心，能够看到永恒的造物主的一线光明。
“To him be all the honor.”
“荣誉应该属于他！”
