早晨，钟敲十下的时候，我沿着我们的小巷到学校去，每天我都遇见那个小贩，他叫道：“镯子呀，亮晶晶的镯子！”

他没有什么事情急着要做，他没有哪条街一定要走，他没有什么地方一定要去，他没有什么时间一定要回家。

我希望我是一个小贩，在街上过日子，叫着：“镯子呀，亮晶晶的镯子！”

下午四点，我从学校里回家，

从一家门口，我看得见一个园丁在那里掘地。

他用他的锄子，要怎么掘，便怎么掘，他被尘土污了衣裳，如果他被太阳晒黑了或是被雨淋湿了，都没有人骂他。

我希望我是一个园丁，在花园里掘地。谁也不来阻止我。

天色刚黑，妈妈就送我上床，

从开着的窗口，我看得见更夫走来走去。

小巷又黑又冷清，路灯立在那里，像一个头上长着一只红眼睛的巨人。

更夫摇着他的提灯，跟他身边的影子一起走着，他一生从没有上床歇息过。

我希望我是一个更夫，整夜在街上走，提了灯去追逐影子。

Vocation

When the gong sounds ten in the morning and I walk to school by our lane，Every day I meet the hawker crying，“Bangles，crystal bangles！”

There is nothing to hurry him on，there is no road he must take，no place he must go to，no time when he must come home.

I wish I were a hawker，spending my day in the road，crying，“Bangles，crystal bangles！”

When at four in the afternoon I come back from the school，I can see through the gate of that house the gardener digging the ground.

He does what he likes with his spade，he soils his clothes with dust，nobody takes him to task if he gets baked in the sun or gets wet.

I wish I were a gardener digging away at the garden with nobody to stop me from digging.

Just as it gets dark in the evening and my mother sends me to bed，I can see through my open window the watchman walking up and down.

The lane is dark and lonely，and the street‐lamp stands like a giant with one red eye in its head.

The watchman swings his lantern and walks with his shadow at his side，and never once goes to bed in his life.

I wish I were a watchman walking the streets all night，chasing the shadows with my lantern.