外面的狗不停地用它们的叫声
The dog outside won’t stop swallowing the city
吞噬着这个城市。早晚会有一些好市民
with its harping. Sooner or later some good citizen
会从他们的百页窗的缝隙中看出去，
will peek through their blinds asking themselves
问自己外面在闹些什么，想要知道怎样的残忍，
about the fuss, wanting to know what cruel somebody
才让人们放弃忠实的狗--一些金毛寻回犬，一些
abandoned such loyalty—some Golden Retriever, some
剪去尾巴的罗威那犬，谁知道还有些什么。在我身边，睡着他，
snip-tailed Rottweiler, who knows. Next to me, he is asleep,
我的爱人，是他答应在未来漫长的季节里
the one I love, the one who promised me a dog in the long seasons
送我一只狗。他说当太阳奄奄一息，
to come. He says when the sun is at its most weary,
当天空坠入瀑布，当秋天的伤口
when the sky collapses into the Cascades, when the wounds
消隐于千万丈冰封的肉体，就是时候了。
of autumn vanish into miles of snowy flesh, then.
事实是，谁知道未来什么会落在我们身上。
The truth is, who knows what will happen to either of us.
我们永远和墓地，和哀歌
We are always one bullet away from the graveyard, a murder
只有一颗子弹的距离。但如果我们的墓穴和产房首尾相连，
of memorial hymns. And if that’s the room we’ve been born into,
那为什么麻雀还要用歌声打破黎明的寂静？
then why do the sparrows break the morning with song?
为什么冷杉要用树皮和树根打拼出绿色？
Why do the fir trees fight bark and root for their green?
有时我听到地球低沉的声音在说，
Sometimes I hear the Earth’s sunken voice saying,
回家吧，回家吧。我何德何能，
Come home, come home. And who am I to argue with the one
能和不断给予的地球争辩？但是亲爱的，匆匆的地球，
who has given us so much? But dear eager Earth, I want him
我想要他永远活着。我想要外面的狗遇到我死去的狗。
to live forever. I want the dog outside to have met my dead dog.
我很少想起它，或者邻居如何向我们叫喊
I hardly think of him, of how our neighbors shouted at us
要它闭嘴。有一天他们代替我们做了这件事，把开水
to shut him up. One day they did it for us, poured searing water
浇到了它的身上。它的毛掉落在身边的草地上，
onto his body. The grass around him became shredded hairs.
蜜蜂嗡嗡乱飞，不得安宁。我看到了
The bees fevered and worried. I watched what happened
一只不受欢迎的动物会遇到怎样不该有的命运。当他
to an animal unwelcomed, underserved. When I tell him this
为了白天的工作而武装自己的时候，他说这样的事
as he armors himself for the day, he says that will never happen
将不会再发生。哦，如风儿一样确定！这不是真的，我想说，
again. Oh, to be as certain as wind! Not true, I want to say,
但我不可能拥有所有的东西。我不能拥有那一小丛
but I can’t have everything. I can’t have the yellow from the small
蒲公英的嫩黄，不能拥有越过屋顶，越过急促的马达声和自行车铃声的
patch of dandelions, can’t have the echo of laughter rolling
欢笑的回音，不能让死去的人
over rooftops, over the hush of engines and bicycle bells, can’t
重新复活。我们不可能永生，但我害怕
bring the dead back to life. We won’t live forever, but I am afraid
一些市民会错把他当成邻居的一道伤疤——
some wrong citizen will mistake him for a scar on the neighborhood—
他们会从我身边把他带走。我定心于一句护身咒语：注意安全。
they will take him from me. I settle with a covering spell: Stay safe.
他走出屋门，走进一片警笛声中。
He walks out the door and into a spray of sirens.