1

I

清冽的水，晶亮的碗，

Clear water in a brilliant bowl,

粉红的洁白的康乃馨。光，

Pink and white carnations. The light

更像是一抹雪意，返照

In the room more like a snowy air,

雪之光。新雪在地，使

Reflecting snow. A newly-fallen snow

冬末的日子复得了下午。

At the end of winter when afternoons return.

粉红的洁白的康乃馨——人的欲望

Pink and white carnations - one desires

升起。而白昼本身却

So much more than that. The day itself

变得简单：一碗白色的冷，一碗

Is simplified: a bowl of white,

冷瓷器本身，低低的浑圆，

Cold, a cold porcelain, low and round,

盛着不多于康乃馨的空白。

With nothing more than the carnations there.

2

II

即使这终极的简单

Say even that this complete simplicity

剥脱了人之苦，隐匿了

Stripped one of all one's torments, concealed

复合的蓬勃的我，使其

The evilly compounded, vital I

焕然一新，在这洁白世界，这

And made it fresh in a world of white,

有着晶亮的围边的清水之境，

A world of clear water, brilliant-edged,

人还是企盼更多，需要更多

Still one would want more, one would need more,

超越了满是雪香的白世界。

More than a world of white and snowy scents.

3

III

还会有那孜孜不倦的心智，

There would still remain the never-resting mind,

使人想逃回到

So that one would want to escape, come back

那些老早的构思里。

To what had been so long composed.

不完美才是我们的天堂。

The imperfect is our paradise.

记住，尽管苦楚，只要

Note that, in this bitterness, delight,

不完美在我们内部燃烧，

Since the imperfect is so hot in us,

快乐就会莅临笨拙的诗行。

Lies in flawed words and stubborn sounds.