"What a crowd it is!" said the young man. "One story after another. It whirls and whirls! It's quite a confusion before my eyes. I shall go out at the back."
"No, go straight forward," said the woman. "Go straight into the crowd of people; look at them in the right way. Have an ear to hear and the right heart to feel, and you will soon invent something. But, before you go away, you must give me my spectacles and my ear-trumpet again."
And so saying, she took both from him.
"Now I do not see the smallest thing," said the young man, "and now I don't hear anything more."
"Why, then, you can't be a poet by Easter," said the wisewoman.
"But, by what time can I be one?" asked he.
"Neither by Easter nor by Whitsuntide! You will not learn how to invent anything."
"What must I do to earn my bread by poetry?"
"You can do that before Shrove Tuesday. Hunt the poets! Kill their writings and thus you will kill them. Don't be put out of countenance. Strike at them boldly, and you'll have carnival cake, on which you can support yourself and your wife too."
"What one can invent!" cried the young man. And so hehit out boldly at every second poet, because he could not be a poet himself.
We have it from the wise woman. She knows WHAT ONE CAN INVENT.
创造
从前有一个年轻人，他研究怎样做一个诗人。他想在复活节就成为一个诗人，而且要讨一个太太，靠写诗来生活。他知道，写诗不过是一种创造，而他却不会创造。他出生得太迟;在他没有来到这个世界以前，一切东西已经被人创造出来了，一切东西已经被作成了诗，写出来了。
“一千年以前出生的人啊，你们真是幸福!”他说。“他们容易成为不朽的人!即使在几百年以前出生的人，也是幸福的，因为那时他们还可以有些东西写成诗。现在全世界的诗都写完了，我还有什么诗可写呢?”
他研究这个问题，结果他病起来了。可怜的人!没有什么医生可以治他的病!也许巫婆能够治吧!她住在草场入口旁边的一个小屋子里。她专为那些骑马和坐车的人开草场的门。她能开的东西还不只门呢。她比医生还要聪明，因为医生只会赶自己的车子和交付他的所得税。
“我非去拜访她一下不可!”这位年轻人说。
她所住的房子是既小巧，又干净，可是样子很可怕。这儿既没有树，也没有花;门口只有一窝蜜蜂，很有用!还有一小块种马铃薯的地，也很有用!还有一条沟，旁边有一个野李树丛——已经开过了花，现在正在结果，而这些果子在没有下霜以前，只要你尝一下，就可以把你的嘴酸得张不开。
“我在这儿所看到的，正是我们这个毫无诗意的时代的一幅图画!”年轻人想。这个在巫婆门口所起的感想可以说是像一粒金子。
“把它写下来吧!”她说。“面包屑也是面包呀!我知道你为什么要到这儿来。你的文思干涸，而你却想在复活节成为一个诗人!”
“一切东西早已被人写完了!”他说，“我们这个时代并不是古代呀!”
“不对!”巫婆说，“古时巫婆总是被人烧死，而诗人总是饿着肚皮，衣袖总是磨穿了洞。现在是一个很好的时代，它是最好的时代!不过你看事情总是不对头。你的听觉不锐敏，你在晚上也不念《主祷文》。这里有各色各样的东西可以写成诗，讲成故事，如果你会讲的话，你可以从大地的植物和收获中汲取题材，你可以从死水和活水中汲取题材，不过你必须了解怎样摄取阳光。现在请你把我的眼镜戴上、把我的听筒安上吧，同时还请你对上帝祈祷，不要老想着你自己吧!”
最后的这件事情最困难，一个巫婆不应该作这样的要求。
他拿着眼镜和听筒;他被领到一块种满了马铃薯的地里去。她给他一个大马铃薯捏着。它里面发出声音来，它唱出一支歌来：有趣的马铃薯之歌——一个分做十段的日常故事;十行就够了。
马铃薯到底唱的什么呢?