When the swans turned my sister into a swan

当天鹅把我的姐姐变成一只天鹅

I would go to the lake, at night, from milking:

我晚上要去湖边，从挤牛奶的地方：

The sun would look out through the reeds like a swan,

太阳会像天鹅一样，从芦苇丛中往外望，

A swan’s red beak; and the beak would open

一只天鹅的红喙；而喙会张开，

And inside there was darkness, the stars and the moon.

里面有黑暗，有许多星星，还有月亮。

Out on the lake, a girl would laugh.

在外边湖中，一个女孩会发出笑声。

“Sister, here is your porridge, sister,”

“姐姐，这是你的粥，姐姐”，

I would call; and the reeds would whisper,

我会呼喊；而芦苇丛低声又絮语，

“Go to sleep, go to sleep, little swan.”

“去睡吧，去睡吧，小天鹅。”

My legs were all hard and webbed, and the silky

我的腿全硬了，长出了蹼，而我的翅膀

Hairs of my wings sank away like stars

丝绸般的羽毛，像星星一样，沉入

In the ripples that ran in and out of the reeds:

荡进芦苇丛又荡出的涟漪：

I heard through the lap and hiss of water

透过水的叠音和嘶嘶声，我听到了

Someone’s “Sister . . . sister,” far away on the shore,

有人叫“妹妹……妹妹”，在远处的岸边，

And then as I opened my beak to answer

而当我张开喙回答的时候

I heard my harsh laugh go out to the shore

我听到我沙哑的笑声跑到了岸上

And saw - saw at last, swimming up from the green

而看到——终于看到，从湖那绿色的

Low mounds of the lake, the white stone swans:

低丘游出，白色石头的天鹅们：

The white, named swans . . . “It is all a dream,”

那白色的，有名字的天鹅们……“这都是一个梦。”

I whispered, and reached from the down of the pallet

我低语着，从草褥的软毛听见

To the lap and hiss of the floor.

湖床的叠音和嘶嘶声。

And “Sleep, little sister,” the swan all sang

“睡吧，小妹妹”，天鹅们都唱着歌

From the moon and stars and frogs of the floor.

在湖床的月亮、星星和青蛙那里。

But the swan my sister called, “Sleep at last, little sister,”

但我的天鹅姐姐叫着：“睡了吧，小妹妹。”

And stroked all night, with a black wing, my wings.

整晚都用黑色的翅膀，抚摸我的翅膀。