突然，你在外面的花园里

Suddenly, you were planting some yellow petunias

种植黄色的牵牛花，

outside in the garden,

而我突然在书房里

and suddenly I was in the study

第三十七次查找“寡头政治”是什么意思。

looking up the word oligarchy for the thirty-seventh time.

当你突然，毫无预兆地，

When suddenly, without warning,

把育苗盒里最后一株牵牛花种好，

you planted the last petunia in the flat,

我突然把字典合上

and I suddenly closed the dictionary

因为已经想起了那个可恶的统治方式。

now that I was reminded of that vile form of governance.

稍后片刻，我们发现自己

A moment later, we found ourselves

突然都站在厨房里

standing suddenly in the kitchen

你突然打开一罐猫食

where you suddenly opened a can of cat food

而我也突然看着你这番操作。

and I just as suddenly watched you doing that.

我看见满窗的树叶晃动

I observed a window of leafy activity

窗户之外，一只鸟栖息在

and beyond that, a bird perched on the edge

供它们洗澡的石水盆边沿

of the stone birdbath

这时你突然宣布要离开

when suddenly you announced you were leaving

去菜市买几样东西

to pick up a few things at the market

我也让你惊愕不已

and I stunned you by impulsively

情绪冲动地指出家里黄油所剩不多

pointing out that we were getting low on butter

再买一箱葡萄酒也不错。

and another case of wine would not be a bad idea.

谁知道下一刻还会发生什么？

Who could tell what the next moment would hold?

水龙头再漏下一滴水？

another drip from the faucet?

秒钟又轻微地痉挛一次？

Another little spasm of the second hand?

那幅满钵秋梨的静物画还会继续

Would the painting of a bowl of pears continue

挂在墙头的钉子上吗？

to hang on the wall from that nail?

那些厚重的文选集还会静待在书架上吗？

Would the heavy anthologies remain on their shelves?

煤气炉会不会坚守不动？

Would the stove hold its position?

突然，谁心里都没数。

Suddenly, it was anyone's guess.

太阳在天空又升高了一节。

The sun rose ever higher in the sky.

墙上地图里各州的首府仍然毫无动静

The state capitals remained motionless on the wall map

此时我突然发现自己躺在沙发上

when suddenly I found myself lying on a couch

双眼合拢，然后毫无预兆地

where I closed my eyes and without any warning

开始想见安第斯山脉，真是匪夷所思，

began to picture the Andes, of all places,

还看到一条小道翻过丛山，进入另一个国度

and a path that led over the mountains to another country

那里风俗奇特，帽子引人注目

with strange customs and eye-catching hats

每一顶突然都缀满了五颜六色的小流苏。

each one suddenly fringed with colorful little tassels.