一坨背着旅行包的白云

A white cloud with a travel bag on its back

错过了上一股

has just missed the gust of wind

刮向鹿特丹的风。

that’s blowing toward Rotterdam.

它坐在半空中一个偏僻的

It sits on an isolated dock,

气流中转码头上

midair, that transports airflow.

发呆，偶尔挪动一下

It stares out, occasionally moves its tired

疲惫的云屁股，低头观看

butt and watches how its own shadow on the river

它在河面上的影子

patiently plays Rock-Scissors-Cloth

是怎样耐心地和低幼的阳光

with the junior Sun.

玩着石头剪子布。

River Maas is so quiet that you can hear the cloud

马斯河上安静得能听见

cough. And through the crossed legs of the cloud,

云的咳嗽，只有几艘

only a few sleepy freighters pass silently.

还没睡醒的货轮

“China Shipping”, the words on the container,

从云的二郎腿底下

row like distant snoring. Suddenly the cloud catches

无声地驶过，集装箱上的

the sight of me by the river reeds—

“中国海运”四个汉字

having missed my ship, I sit restlessly

像一串遥远的呼噜。

on a small lonely pier.  

云突然看见了

We say Hello to each other.

河边荒草中的我，同样是

Its cloudy vowels drift around— so difficult

错过了上一班船，

to communicate with it. It extends

在一个孤零零的小码头

a cloudy hand, trying to pass me

万般坐不住。

a Cloudy Cigarette. I decline the offer

我们互相打了个招呼，

as I only smoke the Yellow Crane Tower.

它的云语言元音聚合不定

We try to make each other understood:

很难沟通。它伸出

I have a beautiful daughter; the white cloud has a

飘忽的云手，试图递给我

a mixed-race son with a dark cloud that drifted

一根云烟，我表示婉拒

away last year to pick up singing above Cape Verde.

因为我只抽黄鹤楼。

Before we go deeper,

我们努力让对方明白了

Three-Masted Wind arrives, sailing toward

我有一个漂亮女儿，它有一朵

the Erasmus bridge.

和乌云混血的儿子，前年

My ship also appears in the upstream.

飘到了佛得角上空去学唱歌。

We take out our cell phones at the same time, shoot

还没来得及深聊，

some pictures, then the cloud goes on its own way

刮向伊拉斯谟桥的三桅风就来了，

to Rotterdam while I set out in the opposite direction:

我的船也已在上游出现。

to a village of windmills

我们同时掏出手机

so pinky pretty like my daughter.

拍照留念，而后，它去它的

鹿特丹，我则去往相反的方向：

一个风车排列成行、

像我女儿一样水灵的村庄。