僵硬的轮毂

The stiff spokes of this wheel

触碰着大地的痛处。

touch the sore spots of the earth.

在波多马克河上，天鹅白的游艇

On the Potomac, swan-white

不断呼吸着硫磺色的波浪。

power launches keep breasting the sulphurous wave.

水獓们滑行潜泳向后梳着它们的毛发，

Otters slide and dive and slick back their hair,

浣熊在小溪里洗着它们的肉食。

raccoons clean their meat in the creek.

在环路上，绿色的骑像就像南美洲的

On the circles, green statues ride like South American

解放者们立于凶猛繁殖的植物之上——

liberators above the breeding vegetation—

它们如同赤道荒原的植物一样尖冲突刺

prongs and spearheads of some equatorial

最终将继承整个地球。

backland that will inherit the globe.

选举，当选者……他们来时就像硬币一样闪亮，

The elect, the elected… they come here bright as dimes,

死时已经干瘪疲软。

and die dishevelled and soft.

我们叫不出他们的名字，或者说出相关的日期——

We cannot name their names, or number their dates—

一轮又一轮，就像树木的年轮——

circle on circle, like rings on a tree—

但我们希望河流还有彼岸，

but we wish the river had another shore,

在那可以感知的远山边缘，

some further range of delectable mountains,

远山的点点蓝色如女孩的眼睑。

distant hills powdered blue as a girl’s eyelid.

看起来只要轻轻一推就能让我们到达那里。

It seems the least little shove would land us there,

但是我们身体无法自控的最轻微的抵抗

that only the slightest repugnance of our bodies

又会把我们拉回。

we no longer control could drag us back.