草地上警惕的光滑的鸫鸟是可怖的，

Terrifying are the attent sleek thrushes on the lawn,

他像卷曲的钢而不象生物—— 一对平稳的

More coiled steel than living - a poised

乌溜溜、无表情的眼，两条细腿

Dark deadly eye, those delicate legs

准备做突兀的跃动—— 一纵，一跳，一刺

Triggered to stirrings beyond sense - with a start, a bounce, a stab

以夺得瞬间，拖出一条蠕动着的虫。

Overtake the instant and drag out some writhing thing.

没有懒散的踌躇，没有慵倦的注视，

No indolent procrastinations and no yawning states,

不叹气，也不搔头。就只有跳跃，劈刺

No sighs or head-scratchings. Nothing but bounce and stab

和掠夺的瞬间。

And a ravening second.

莫非是它们专心一致的头脑或练就了的

Is it their single-mind-sized skulls, or a trained

身躯，或天才，或一大窝小子

Body, or genius, or a nestful of brats

使它们活着有这等子弹般自动的

Gives their days this bullet and automatic

目的？莫扎特的头脑如此，鲨鱼的嘴巴也如此，

Purpose? Mozart's brain had it, and the shark's mouth

一闻到血腥味就穷追，即使自己的腰部出血，

That hungers down the blood-smell even to a leak of its own

自己给吞掉：效率

Side and devouring of itself: efficiency which

如此高超不容任何怀疑来置喙

Strikes too streamlined for any doubt to pluck at it

或让障碍来使之偏离。

Or obstruction deflect.

人可不是这样。马背上的英雄气概，

With a man it is otherwise. Heroisms on horseback,

一张大书桌上以超台历的速度工作

Outstripping his desk-diary at a broad desk,

雕刻一座小小的象牙装饰品

Carving at a tiny ivory ornament

年复一年：他的作为崇拜自己——可对他来说

For years: his act worships itself - while for him,

虽然他俯首弯腰，溶入祈祷，

Though he bends to be blent in the prayer, how loud and above what

那些叫人烦乱的魔鬼，魔法和神明

Furious spaces of fire do the distracting devils

在炽烈的火焰之上，在一大片沉寂的黑水之下

Orgy and hosannah, under what wilderness

如何大声地哭泣。

Of black silent waters weep.