出版－－不啻出賣心靈

艾蜜莉的．狄金遜的詩，多數隱晦難解，因為她往往將具象與抽象互易，推到極限，發揮得淋灕盡致。而且還常常特意偏離「正常」文法，使得我們一般非英語原生族原本就很難看懂的英詩，更形難上加難。

艾蜜莉寫了近1800首詩，可是終其一生卻出版了大約七首。下面這首詩可以一窺她對出版一事的看法。

Emily Dickinson
#709

Publication -- is the Auction
Of the Mind of Man --
Poverty -- be justifying
For so foul a thing

Possibly -- but We -- would rather
From Our Garret go
White -- Unto
the White Creator --
Than invest -- Our Snow --

Thought belong to Him who gave it --
Then -- to Him Who bear
Its Corporeal illustration -- Sell
The Royal Air --

In the Parcel -- Be the Merchant
Of the Heavenly Grace --
But reduce no Human Spirit
To Disgrace of Price --

這一首詩，先不論其意象之豐之難，乍看也是文法上的難詩，不過透過重組成「白話散文」，似乎可以看出幾分端倪，也顯示起碼在這首詩中，艾蜜莉基本上還算恪遵了文法規則：

Publication is the auction of the mind of man,
poverty possibly be justifying for so foul a thing.

But we would rather go white from our garret
unto the white creator than invest our snow.

(May) Thought belong to Him who gave it,
then belong to Him who bear its corporeal illustration.

Sell the royal air in the parcel;
Be the merchant of the heavenly grace.
But reduce no human spirit to disgrace of price.

以下試就原詩「直」譯成中文，韻腳就先不管了：

出版 -- 不啻拍賣
人的心靈所有 --
貧困 -- 才合去做
如此不堪之事

或許吧 -- 然而我們 -- 寧自
我們的閣樓，以雪
之白 -- 向那白色的造主
卻不投注 -- 我們的雪花 --

讓思維歸於那賜下思維者 --
然後 -- 再歸於那具現
思維肉身形貌者 -- 去販售
那尊貴的氣息吧 --

整批包裝地販售 -- 去做買賣人吧
買賣那神聖的恩賜 --
但請不要，貶損人的靈性
蒙受標價污辱 --