In an effort to get people to look

为了让人们更多地

into each other’s eyes more,

直视彼此的眼睛，

and also to appease the mutes,

同时为了安抚不能说话的人，

the government has decided

政府决定

to allot each person exactly one hundred  

每天只允许人们说出

and sixty-seven words, per day.

一百六十七个字。

When the phone rings, I put it to my ear  

当电话铃响的时候，我拿起听筒

without saying hello. In the restaurant  

并不说“你好”。在餐馆

I point at chicken noodle soup.

我会指指鸡汤面条。

我很好地适应了新的生活方式。

I am adjusting well to the new way.

Late at night, I call my long distance lover,  

深夜，我打电话给遥远的恋人，

proudly say I only used fifty-nine today.  

骄傲地说我只用了五十九个字。

I saved the rest for you.

要把剩下的留给你。

When she doesn’t respond,

当听到她没有反应，

I know she’s used up all her words,  

我知道她用尽了今天的字数，

so I slowly whisper I love you

所以我慢慢地耳语“我爱你”，

thirty-two and a third times.

说了三十又三分之一次。

After that, we just sit on the line  

在此之后，我们只是静静坐着

and listen to each other breathe.

在电话里听彼此的呼吸。