整个夏天，我和邻近的生物

All summer I made friends

交朋友——

with the creatures nearby ---

它们飘荡在田野

they flowed through the fields

和帐篷周围，

and under the tent walls,

有时它们的脑袋钻进门帘

or padded through the door,

露出一些牙齿

grinning through their many teeth,

寻找种子，

looking for seeds,

板油，糖；嘴里哼哼唧唧，

suet, sugar; muttering and humming,

打开面包盒，发现里面有牛奶和音乐时

opening the breadbox, happiest when

无比开心。但是，有一个

there was milk and music. But once

晚上，我听见外面

in the night I heard a sound

有一种声音，帆布

outside the door, the canvas

轻微鼓起——某种东西的

bulged slightly ---something

眼睛正贴在上面向里看。

was pressing inward at eye level.

我盯着它，浑身发抖，我的确听见了

I watched, trembling, sure I had heard

爪子的摩擦声，嘴唇的啪嗒声

the click of claws, the smack of lips

在我单薄的房子外——

outside my gauzy house ---

我想象它有红色的眼睛，

I imagined the red eyes,

宽大的舌头，粗壮的腿。

the broad tongue, the enormous lap.

它是友好的吗？

Would it be friendly too?

恐惧战胜了我。然而，

Fear defeated me. And yet,

不是出于信念和疯狂

not in faith and not in madness

只是认为

but with the courage I thought

我的梦应该有勇气，

my dream deserved,

我走了出去。它消失了。

I stepped outside. It was gone.

然后我恍然听见了沉重的

Then I whirled at the sound of some

脚步声。

shambling tonnage.

我是否真的看见了一个黑色的尾巴闪到了

Did I see a black haunch slipping

树后？看见

back through the trees? Did I see

月光照耀着它？

the moonlight shining on it?

我是否真的朝它伸出了

Did I actually reach out my arms

胳膊，朝着降落的天堂，像

toward it, toward paradise falling, like

爱人的消逝，最狂野的希望——

the fading of the dearest, wildest hope ---

这个故事黑暗的中心，是它被讲出的

the dark heart of the story that is all

全部原因吗？

the reason for its telling?