我从小弯着腰长大

I grew up bent over

在棋盘里。

a chessboard.

我喜欢残局这个词。

I loved the word endgame.

我所有的表兄弟都很担心。

All my cousins looked worried.

那是一间小房子

It was a small house

在罗马墓地的附近。

near a Roman graveyard.

飞机和坦克

Planes and tanks

摇晃着窗户玻璃。

shook its windowpanes.

一位退休的天文学教授

A retired professor of astronomy

教我下棋。

taught me how to play.

那应该是1944年。

That must have been in 1944.

在我们用的棋盘，

In the set we were using,

油漆大部分已剥落成

the paint had almost chipped off

黑色的碎片。

the black pieces.

白王丢了

The white King was missing

必须找东西替换。

and had to be substituted for.

我被告知什么也别信

I’m told but do not believe

那个夏天我目睹了

that that summer I witnessed

一个男人被挂在电线杆上。

men hung from telephone poles.

我记得妈妈

I remember my mother

经常蒙住我的眼睛。

blindfolding me a lot.

她有办法突然地把我的头

She had a way of tucking my head

塞在她的大衣下。

suddenly under her overcoat.

记得下棋时，教授告诉我，

In chess, too, the professor told me,

大师们都蒙着眼睛下，

the masters play blindfolded,

几个板上钉钉的伟大人物

the great ones on several boards

同时下几盘棋。

at the same time.