我的女朋友收养了一只兔子，
My girlfriend adopts a rabbit,
我们给他起了个名字“卜卜·陀思妥耶夫斯基·罗”。
and we name him Bubu Dostoevsky Luo.
“罗”是我女朋友的姓。
Luo is my girlfriend’s last name.
“萝卜”是免子喜欢的食品。
Luo bu means radish in Chinese.
“陀思妥耶夫斯基”是我喜欢的作家。
Dostoevsky is a writer I like.
卜卜在第一个月没有写出任何东西。
Bubu never writes in the first month,
虽然它的小鼻子在抽搐
although his modest nose twitching
暗示它对语言的炽热兴趣。
implies a burning interest in language.
我和女友在家里说汉语
My girlfriend and I speak Chinese at home
但觉得我们应当重新审视这种行为
but feel obliged to rethink this practice
就像每一个移民家庭一样：
like every immigrant household:
她指出卜卜
She points out that Bubu
是一个美国兔宝宝，
is an American bunny,
他需要融入社会。
and he needs to fit into society.
可怜的卜卜。他是否长大了也不知道
Poor Bubu. Will he grow up ignorant of the story
玉兔的传说，
behind the Mooncake Festival,
不知道他名字的中文意思，
meaning of his own name,
不知道北京和上海
locations of Beijing and Shanghai—
哪个在地图的上边？
which one is farther north?
还有广州，武汉，成都，
And Guangzhou, Wuhan, Chengdu
最后一个地方（卜卜一定要小心）
where people cook (Bubu should be aware!)
喜欢吃麻辣兔头。
spicy marinated rabbit heads.
周日我们是否要带卜卜去教堂？
Do we take Bubu to church on Sunday?
去看那里没有龙眼吃的婚礼，
Wedding ceremony sans fresh longans,
还有装饰着可爱木头十字的坟墓？
grave adorned with a cute wood cross?
其他的兔宝宝提着复活节彩蛋篮子
Other bunnies carrying Easter egg baskets
可能会问卜卜关于家庭的问题。
may ask Bubu to talk about his family.
他们会在背后叫卜卜什么？
What will they call Bubu in his absence?
卜卜会如何看待自己？
How does Bubu see himself?
在漫长的21世纪，卜卜会遇到
In the long 21st century, Bubu may meet
一些来自中国的红色兔子。
some communist bunny from China.
卜卜是否会用迷茫的微笑
Will Bubu return her accented greeting
来回应她带着口音的问候？
with a perplexed smile,
抑或他们会互相嗅嗅，在最大圆月
or will they sniff and pass each other—
出现时送给对方一个毛绒月球？
a fluffy moon at its perigee?
是的，卜卜生为一只纯粹的美国兔子，
Yes, Bubu is born so American
竞选总统毫无问题。
he can easily run for president.
感谢上帝他从来没有热情
Thank God he hasn’t expressed a zeal
鼓吹税制改革
for proposing tax reforms
或者把俄罗斯间谍驱逐出境。
or deporting Russian spies.
卜卜咀嚼着果园干草。
Bubu munches orchard hay.
从后面我看到一台狂暴的打字机在工作。
From behind I see a fierce typist at work.
他扔出的纸团
The paper balls he throws away
挂在天空就像皱巴巴的云彩。
hang in the sky as crumpled clouds.
或者卜卜是一个秘密无线电操作员，
Or is Bubu an underground radio operator,
一直在发送神秘的摩尔斯电码
who keeps sending the Morse code of wonder
（现在他的天线耳朵就支楞着）
(now his antennae ears are up)
到某个遥远，遥远的地方？
to somewhere far, far away?
不管卜卜早期的代表作
No matter which language Bubu the bunny
用的是什么语言，
adopts to write his early oeuvre,
我们会一直爱他，支持他，而且保证
we will always love him, support him, and make sure
他不会独自到成都旅行。
he doesn’t travel alone to Chengdu.