屋子很空
The room is a big hollow.
年月磨白了一些灰砖
Months and years burnished some grey bricks
也把一些磨得黑亮
white, and some glimmering black.
碎屑静静落下，时间
Crumbs of clay quietly drop, time
竖起四围墙壁的坚实
Erects the solidity of the walls’ enclosure.
空屋子里充满飘浮的气息
The empty room is filled with floating auras
阳光照亮窗棂
Sunlight emblazing the lattice window
孩子们丢下与影子的游戏
Children discard the play with the shadows
跑出屋子，到广场上游戏
Run out of room, to play on the plaza.
跳房子，捉迷藏，跳皮筋
Hopscotch, seek-and-hide, rubber-band skipping
草绿了又黄，卖气球的女人
Grasses green then yellow, the sugar-figures blowing man
换了吹糖人的老人，风车的彩轮
replaces the woman who sold balloons, colorful wheels of
转个不停，蒲公英向着湛蓝飞散
pinwheel turning on and on. Dandelions fly apart to the azure.
梧桐的果球破裂，在金色的空中
The strobilus of the phoenix trees cracked, pollens draw
划出消匿的音痕。风从巷道吹来
vanishing sound traces in the golden sky. Wind blowing
沙子先于黄昏扑入眼睛
through the lanes, sands rush into the eyes before the dusk.
少男少女挺直身躯，望着彼此
Boys and girls in adolescent back up, look at each other
陌生又熟悉
strange and familiar.
巷道消失在广场
Lanes disappeared in the plaza
广场伸出道路
The plaza stretches out the roads
放下游戏的少女
The young girl drops down the game and stands
站在广场的圆圈外张望
Outside the circle of square, looking around and far
太阳落山，夕光在天上
The sun is setting, evening glow stacked up
堆起幻彩的迷宫
an iridescent hallucination castle.
浓重的暮色袖手静候
Twilight in dense color waits with patience.
他曾推着自行车在城外等着
Once he waited me with his bicycle outside the town
骑车带着我和女伴，我在前面
He carried me with my girl friend, I, sat on the crossbar
他的姐姐是医生，我去了他家里
His sister was a doctor. I went to visit his home
只有他妈妈，我红了脸，没说什么
Only his mother there, I blushed, not knowing what to say.
他拿着电影票，手上的机油还没洗掉
He held tickets for a movie, smudged machine oil still on the hands
我问他是每个人都有票吗？他低下头
I asked was that everyone had a ticket? He lowered his head.
年轻时被人喜欢也挺美好，不是吗？
To be loved in the youth is beautiful, isn’t it?
当时，我一定就是喜欢他
At that time, he is the one I must have liked
我们也好过，现在我们老了
We have had good times, now we are getting old
几个月都不干一回事
For months we would not have sex
可他看那女人的样子，他的语气
But how he looked at that woman! His voice!
怎么能全都不一样了？
How could it be completely different?
他是个好人
He is a nice man.
熄灯吧，他打麻将回来还早
Black out now, it’s still early till he comes back from Mah-jongg
丽姨在二十年寂静的黑夜中躺下
Aunt Lee lies down in her silent night of twenty years.
风吹散人语，只留下夜
The wind puffs away human’s whisper, only night stays
广场裸露在星光下
The plaza naked under the starlight
叮咚、叮咚滚过一些碎珠
Tinkling, jingling, broken beads rolling down
巷道的黑瞳不相交语
Black pupils of the dark lanes exchange no words
道路掌纹般若隐若现
Roads gleamingly loom like the patterns of the palm
睡梦中的孩子伸展筋骨
The children in dreams stretch muscles and bones
将要醒来，建造房屋，自言自语。
Will wake up, build rooms, and murmur to oneself.