with the women at home

哪儿的女人都呆在家里
and the men away.

男人则在外奔忙
Reader,

读者
what I heard was but the melody of children at play,

我所听到的不过是正在嬉戏玩耍的孩子们的悦耳动听的声音
nothing but that, and so limpid was the air that

就只有这种声音而空气是那么清澈明净
within this vapor of blended voices majestic and minute,

因此在这片响亮而又微弱遥远而又神奇地
remote and magically near,

近在咫尺
frank and divinely enigmatic,

坦率而又神圣地莫测高深地混杂这个中声音的水汽中
one could hear now and then, as if released,

你可以不是听到一阵几乎相当清楚的活泼的笑声
an almost inarticulate spurt of vivid laughter

棒球球棒敲击的噼啪声
or the crack of a bat

或一辆玩具火车的哐啷声
or the clatter of a toy wagon,

这一切仿佛都是被释放出来似的