燕子去了，有再来的时候；杨柳枯了，有再青的时候；桃花谢了，有再开的时候。但是，聪明的，你告诉我，我们的日子为什么一去不复返呢？——是有人偷了他们罢：那是谁？又藏在何处呢？是他们自己逃走了：现在又到了哪里呢？　

　　Pinyin：yàn zi qù le，yǒu zài lái de shí hou；yánɡ liǔ kū le，yǒu zài qīnɡ de shí hou；táo huā xiè le，yǒu zài kāi de shí hou。dàn shì，cōnɡ mínɡ de ，nǐ ɡào su wǒ ，wǒ men de rì zi wèi shén me yí qù bú fù fǎn ne？——shì yǒu rén tōu le tā men bà：nà shì shuí？yòu cánɡ zài hé chù ne？shì tā men zì jǐ táo zǒu le：xiàn zài yòu dào le nǎ lǐ ne？

　　Swallows may have gone, but there is a time of return; willow trees may have died back, but there is a time of regreening; peach blossoms may have fallen, but they will bloom again. Now, you the wise, tell me, why should our days leave us, never to return? - If they had been stolen by someone, who could it be? Where could he hide them? If they had made the escape themselves, then where could they stay at the moment?

　　我不知道他们给了我多少日子；但我的手确乎是渐渐空虚了。在默默里算着，八千多日子已经从我手中溜去；象针尖上一滴水滴在大海里，我的日子滴在时间的流里，没有声音也没有影子。我不禁头涔涔而泪潸潸了。

　　Pinyin：wǒ bù zhī dào tā men ɡěi le wǒ duō shǎo rì zi；dàn wǒ de shǒu què hū shì jiàn jiàn kōnɡ xū le。zài mò mò lǐ suàn zhe，bā qiān duō rì zi yǐ jīnɡ cónɡ wǒ shǒu zhōnɡ liū qù；xiànɡ zhēn jiān shànɡ yì dī shuǐ dī zài dà hái lǐ，wǒ de rì zi dī zài shí jiān de liú lǐ，méi yǒu shēnɡ yīn yě méi yǒu yǐnɡ zi。wǒ bú jīn tóu cén cén ér lèi shān shān le。

　　I don't know how many days I have been given to spend, but I do feel my hands are getting empty. Taking stock silently, I find that more than eight thousand days have already slid away from me. Like a drop of water from the point of a needle disappearing into the ocean, my days are dripping into the stream of time, soundless, traceless. Already sweat is starting on my forehead, and tears welling up in my eyes。

　　去的尽管去了，来的尽管来着，去来的中间，又怎样的匆匆呢？早上我起来的时候，小屋里射进两三方斜斜的太阳。太阳他有脚啊，轻轻悄悄地挪移了；我也茫茫然跟着旋转。于是——洗手的时候，日子从水盆里过去；吃饭的时候，日子从饭碗里过去；默默时，便从凝然的双眼前过去。我觉察他去的匆匆了，伸出手遮挽时，他又从遮挽着的手边过去，天黑时，我躺在床上，他便伶伶俐俐地从我身边垮过，从我脚边飞去了。等我睁开眼和太阳再见，这算又溜走了一日。我掩着面叹息。但是新来的日子的影儿又开始在叹息里闪过了。

　　Pinyin：qù de jín ɡuǎn qù le，lái de jín ɡuǎn lái zhe，qù lái de zhōnɡ jiān，yòu zěn yànɡ de cōnɡ cōnɡ ne？zǎo shɑnɡ wǒ qǐ lái de shí hou，xiǎo wū lǐ shè jìn liǎnɡ sān fānɡ xié xié de tài yánɡ。tài yánɡ tā yǒu jiǎo ā ，qīnɡ qīnɡ qiāo qiāo dì nuó yí le；wǒ yě mánɡ mánɡ rán ɡēn zhe xuán zhuǎn。yú shì —— xí shǒu de shí hou，rì zi cónɡ shuǐ pén lǐ ɡuò qù；chī fàn de shí hou，rì zi cónɡ fàn wǎn lǐ ɡuò qù；mò mò shí，biàn cónɡ nínɡ rán de shuānɡ yǎn qián ɡuò qù。wǒ jué chá tā qù de cōnɡ cōnɡ le，shēn chū shǒu zhē wǎn shí，tā yòu cónɡ zhē wǎn zhe de shǒu biān ɡuò qù，tiān hēi shí，wǒ tǎnɡ zài chuánɡ shànɡ，tā biàn línɡ línɡ li lì dì cónɡ wǒ shēn biān kuǎ ɡuò，cónɡ wǒ jiǎo biān fēi qù le。děnɡ wǒ zhēnɡ kāi yǎn hé tài yánɡ zài jiàn，zhè suàn yòu liū zǒu le yí rì。wǒ yǎn zhe miàn tàn xī。dàn shì xīn lái de rì zi de yǐnɡ ér yòu kāi shǐ zài tàn xī lǐ shǎn ɡuò le。

　　Those that have gone have gone for good, those to come keep coming; yet in between, how swift is the shift, in such a rush? When I get up in the morning, the slanting sun marks its presence in my small room in two or three oblongs. The sun has feet, look, he is treading on, lightly and furtively; and I am caught, blankly, in his revolution. Thus--the day flows away through the sink when I wash my hands, wears off in the bowl when I eat my meal, and passes away before my day-dreaming gaze as reflect in silence. I can feel his haste now, so I reach out my hands to hold him back, but he keeps flowing past my withholding hands. In the evening, as I lie in bed, he strides over my body, glides past my feet, in his agile way. The moment I open my eyes and meet the sun again, one whole day has gone. I bury my face in my hands and heave a sigh. But the new day begins to flash past in the sigh。

　　你聪明的，告诉我，我们的日子为什么一去不复返呢？

　　Pinyin：nǐ cōnɡ mínɡ de，ɡào su wǒ，wǒ men de rì zi wèi shén me yí qù bú fù fǎn ne？

　　You the wise, tell me, why should our days leave us, never to return?