明朗如船洗
Bright as boatwash
我们出发去蒙特利尔
we head for Montreal,
去威尔家
to Will’s house.
威尔的生日
Will’s birthday.
这就是威尔
Here’s Will!
崭新的绿色沙发
New green sofa,
一杯葡萄酒
glass of Malbec,
简陋的房间，地毯上有一只狗
roughhousing with the dog on the rug.
很喜欢这块地毯
I love the rug.
游泳池般的蓝色
It’s blue like a swimming pool.
威尔送给我们从日本带来的T恤
Will gives us T-shirts from Japan.
我们送他几块泡澡香皂
We give him bath bombs.
鲁本和艾德也从不易诺斯艾利斯赶来
Ruben and Ed show up from Buenos Aires.
我们出发去老城区
We set off for Parc X.
迷路了
Get lost.
找到老城区
Find Parc X.
坐在露天餐台
Sit at outdoor tables.
我将冰块放在酒里
Waiter draws a breath of horror
服务生惊讶得倒抽一口凉气
when I put an ice cube in my wine
然后，我们想起来
but then, discovering
今天是威尔的生日
it’s Will’s birthday,
一道菜接着一道菜
brings us course after course
包括松木风味的鱿鱼
including an octopus flavored with pine.
晚餐一直进行着
Dinner goes on and on.
生日宴会要结束了
Birthday gâteau to finish and all the waiters
所有服务生站成一个圈，斟上白兰地，唱着生日歌
standing round to sing, handing out Calvados.
下雨了
It rains.
但我们有遮雨篷
But we are under an awning.
一切似乎很完美
That seems perfect.
开车送鲁本和埃德到酒店
Drive Ruben and Ed to their hotel.
一个一个依次拥抱
Everyone hugs everyone.
回到威尔家
Back at Will’s
威尔说这是1968以来过得最好的生日
Will says best birthday since 1968.
我持保留意见，但他们不会在乎别人的感受
I have some reservations but they are narcissist
我已经重复很多遍，比如说
once again too cold to wear my smashing orange dress,
天太冷，我不能穿那件惊艳的橘色长裙
for example.
I always say this but it’s true, there are
我总是这么说，但这是真的
so many things
那么多事情
I don’t understand,
我不能理解
I don’t mean steak tartare,
我当然不是在说牛排酱
I mean irony, corpses, how to not
我是在说这可笑的，死去的躯体
see yourself everywhere in comparison.
怎样才能不通过比较来认识自己
How to see instead what’s there.
怎样看到自己本来的样子
Recently having learned to recognize the type of tree called sycamore,
I see them in any forest—
最近, 我学会了识别一种梧桐树
the ones that look harrowed, in shreds, but
他们在森林里到处都是
go also
看起来苍凉，支离破碎, 但
straight up into life,
却也是
笔直向上深入生命
like Will’s dog who, although old and may not last the year,
I saw soar across the swimming pool on no feet.
就像威尔的狗，已经很老了，估计活不过今年
我正看见它，不用脚，鹰一样飞过游泳池