为了多生贵子，新娘被托起，用左手摸它，

For fertility, a new bride is lifted to touch it with her left hand,

也有可能吻它。

or possibly kiss it.

我朋友后来告诉我，钟声聚拢起来时近于无声，

The sound close in, my friend told me later, is almost silent.

而十公里处，就算从没听过的人也都知道那是什么。

At ten kilometers, even those who have never heard it know what it is.

她说，如果打雷时你站在它附近，

If you stand near during thunder, she said,

你会听到它回应。

you will hear a reply.

电话低鸣，六星期又六天之后，

Six weeks and six days from the phone’s small ringing,

回应完全没了。

replying was over.

她，做羊肉，爱葡萄酒和野生菇意面。

She who cooked lamb and loved wine and wild mushroom pastas.

我最后一次见到她时，她无声，就像大多数时候的齐格蒙特大钟，

She who when I saw her last was silent as the great Zygmunt mostly is,

她干燥的嘴唇之间被呼吸机的管夹封住。

a ventilator’s clapper between her dry lips.

因为我可以说话，所以由我说。她把手掌放在我脸颊上回答。

Because I could, I spoke. She laid her palm on my cheek to answer.

很快，又到时间了，得离开。

And soon again, to say it was time to leave.

我把嘴唇贴在她手背

I put my lips near the place a tube went into

插输液管的地方。

the back of one hand.

那个吻，满满的，也很正式，似乎它知道我还不知道的事。

The kiss—as if it knew what I did not yet—both full and formal.

就像亲吻红衣主教的戒指，或者亲吻

As one would kiss the ring of a cardinal, or the rim

那口冰冷的铁钟边缘，这口钟的话可能表示“大喜”，

of that cold iron bell, whose speech can mean “Great joy,”

或者也等于说——“这座城在燃烧。来。”

or—equally—“The city is burning. Come.”

【译按】

齐格蒙特大钟，波兰克拉科夫市内的齐格蒙特钟塔里的著名大钟，铸造于1520年。