I watched them once,at dusk, on television, run,

我曾经观察过鲑鱼，黄昏时分，电视上，在播放，

in our motel room half-way through

在我们的旅店房间里，去往

Nebraska, quick,glittering, past beauty, past

内布拉斯加的途中，身形迅疾、光芒闪烁，超越了美，超越了

the importance of beauty,

美的重要性，

archaic,

样貌复古，

not even hungry, not even endangered, driving deeper and deeper

并不饥饿，甚至没有濒临灭绝，扎进更深的地方

into less. They leapt up falls, ladders,

遁入虚空。它们跃至瀑布顶端，如登上阶梯，

and rock, tearing and leaping, a gold river

或攀上岩石，腾挪飞舞，如一条金色的河流

and a blue river traveling

与蓝色的河流背道

in opposite directions.

而驰。

They would not stop,resolution of will

它们不会停下，凝聚意志

and helplessness, as the eye

与无助，好比眼睛

is helpless

无力地凝视

when the image forms itself, upside-down, backward,

当意象汇集，上下颠倒，面朝后方，

driving up into

向上挺进、钻入

the mind, and the world

头脑，世界

unfastens itself

为自己松绑

from the deep ocean of the given. . . . Justice, aspen

从既定的深海中浮现……正义，白杨树

leaves, mother attempting

树叶，尝试自尽的

suicide, the white night-flying moth

母亲，白色的夜间飞蛾

the ants dismantled bit by bit and carried in

蚂蚁一点点地被肢解，被轻松

right through the crack

推入我墙上的

in my wall. . . .How helpless

裂缝……多么无助

the still pool is,

这个静止的池塘，

upstream,

在上游的地方，

awaiting the gold blade

等待这金色刀锋

of their hurry.Once, indoors, a child,

飞快地到来。有一次，在室内，我还是一个孩子的时候

I watched, at noon,through slatted wooden blinds,

曾在午间透过木质百叶窗张望

a man and woman,naked, eyes closed,

一个男人和女人，赤裸身体，眼睛闭着，

climb onto each other,

爬到彼此身上，

on the terrace floor,

倒向露台地板，

and ride—two gold currents

飞驰——如两道金色水流

wrapping round and round each other, fastening,

团团围住彼此，拥紧，

unfastening. I hardly knew

松开。我还懵懵

what I saw. Whatever shadow there was in that world

懂懂。世间仅有的阴影

it was the one each cast

是他们在彼此身上投下的

onto the other,

暗色，

the thin black seam

那条黑色的分割线，

they seemed to be rying to work away

他们似乎正在试图

between them. I held my breath.

抹去。我屏住呼吸。

As far as I could tell, the work they did

在我有限的感知里，他们沾着

with sweat and light

汗水与光辉的劳作

was good. I’d say

是件好事。要我说

they traveled far in opposite

他们背道而驰

directions. What is the light

蹚过

at the end of the day, deep, reddish-gold, bathing the walls,

很远。白日尽头的光

the corridors, light that is no longer light, no longer clarifies,

是什么，深沉、发红的金色，浸润所有墙面、

illuminates,antique, freed from the body of

走廊，光不复为光，不复清晰，

the air that carries it. What is it

却仍在照亮，古意盎然，从承载着光的空气团中

for the space of time

脱身而出。这束光

where it is useless,merely

对时间的场域有什么意义，

beautiful? When they were done, they made a distance

似乎一无所用，仅剩

one from the other

美丽？他们终于完成，与彼此

and slept,outstretched,

拉开距离

on the warm tile

随后入睡，展开身躯，

of the terrace floor,

躺在露台地上

smiling, faces pressed against the stone.

发热的瓷砖上，

面露微笑，两张脸贴着石地。