(又名：敞開的爐火)

燈光照耀在街道上：
有那腳步微弱的聲響；
深藍的夜幕緩緩落下
籠罩了花園的樹和牆。

此時陰暗正在降臨
空屋塗上了爐火的紅光：
它溫暖的映在棚頂，
猶如在書頁上來回搖晃。

軍隊行進過平塔和尖塔
城市在火中燃燒發光；---
我雙眼凝視直到那，
軍隊消失了連同着火光。

然後又一次發光閃亮；
重現城市燃燒的影象；
看哪！在那紅熱的谷底，
幻想的軍隊正在行進！

閃爍的餘燼告訴我真實
那就是軍隊行進的地方，
燃燒的軍隊是什麼
它破碎在我的爐膛！

Armies in the Fire
(Open fires)

The lamps now glitter down the street:
Faintly sound the falling feet;
And the blue even slowly falls
About the garden trees and walls.

Now in the falling of the gloom
The red fire paints the empty room:
And warmly on the roof it looks,
And flickers on the back of books.

Armies march by tower and spire
Of cities blazing, in the fire;--
Till as I gaze with staring eyes,
The armies fall, the lustre dies.

Then once again the glow returns;
Again the phantom city burns;
And down the red-hot valley, lo!
The phantom armies marching go!

Blinking embers, tell me true
Where are those armies marching to,
And what the burning city is
That crumbles in your furnaces!

--- By Robert Louis Stevenson