Another armored animal–scale

又一种甲胄动物——鳞甲

lapping scale with spruce-cone regularity until they

层层相叠，像圆锥形的云杉一样整齐，一直到尾部，

form the uninterrupted central

形成了不间断的

tail row! This near artichoke with head and legs and

同心圆！近似于有头和腿并装备了坚韧沙囊的

grit-equipped gizzard,

朝鲜蓟，

the night miniature artist engineer is,

这微型的晚间艺术工程师，

yes, Leonardo da Vinci’s replica–

正是列奥纳多•达芬奇的复制品——

impressive animal and toiler of whom we seldom hear.

我们很少听说的、令人难忘的勤劳动物。

Armor seems extra. But for him,

盔甲仿佛是多余的。但是对他而言，

the closing ear-ridge–

隐藏的耳脊——

or bare ear licking even this small

无遮蔽的、没有

eminence and similarly safe

突起的耳朵，有类似安全收缩装备的

contracting nose and eye apertures

impenetrably closable, are not;–a true ant-eater,

鼻子以及闭上后无法穿透的

not cockroach-eater, who endures

眼缝，都不是多余的；它是一个真正的食蚁兽，

exhausting solitary trips through unfamiliar ground at night,

绝不吃蟑螂，忍受着

returning before sunrise; stepping in the moonlight,

疲惫不堪的孤独，夜晚，在月光

on the moonlight peculiarly, that the outside

（尤其要借助于月光），穿行于陌生之地，

edges of his hands may bear the weight and save the

日出前才归来。他的手的外缘

claws

可以承重，保护用于挖掘的

for digging. Serpentined about

爪子。在树上

the tree, he draws

攀缘时，他一点也不好斗，

away from danger unpugnaciously,

总是回避危险，

with no sound but a harmless hiss; keeping

只会发出一阵无害的嘶嘶声；他保持着

the fragile grace of the Thomas-

of-Leighton Buzzard Westminster Abbey wrought-iron

威斯敏斯特教堂的铁蔓藤雕花栏杆上

vine, or

那种柔弱的优雅，有时

rolls himself into a ball that has

把自己滚成一个球，

power to defy all effort to unroll it; strongly intailed, neat

能抵抗任何外力的侵犯；他没有细瘦的脖子，尾巴

head for core, on neck not breaking off, with curled-in feet.

可以紧紧蜷起，以整洁的头为中心，一直盘绕到脚。

Nevertheless he has sting-proof scales; and nest

他有抵抗利刺的鳞甲；岩石中的洞穴

of rocks closed with earth from inside, which he can

从里面封上土，因此

thus darken.

变得很暗。

Sun and moon and day and night and man and beast

太阳与月亮与白昼与夜晚与人与野兽，

each with a splendor

每件事物都拥有一种光，

which man in all his vileness cannot

人及其所有的卑劣，

set aside; each with an excellence!

不应对此视而不见；每件事物都有奇妙之处！

"Fearful yet to be feared," the armored

ant-eater met by the driver-ant does not turn back, but

“胆怯者也是可怖的，”这甲胄的食蚁兽

engulfs what he can, the flattered sword-

遭遇兵蚁时，绝不后退，而是

edged leafpoints on the tail and artichoke set leg-and

吞噬他所能吞噬的一切，当兵蚁为了报复，

body-plates

蜂拥着爬上他的身体，

quivering violently when it retaliates

他放平尾部和身体上锋利的

and swarms on him. Compact like the furled fringed frill

叶状鳞片，剧烈地颤抖着，四肢和身体变得密不透风，如同

on the hat-brim of Gargallo’s hollow iron head of a

伽格拉斯雕刻的斗牛士头上

matador, he will drop and will

那顶帽子的卷边。最后它跌落在地

then walk away

毫发无损地

unhurt, although if unintruded on,

溜走了。当然，如果没有受到侵扰，

he cautiously works down the tree, helped

他也能借助尾巴，小心地

by his tail. The giant-pangolin-

tail, graceful tool, as prop or hand or broom or ax, tipped like

爬下树。穿山甲那巨大的

an elephant’s trunk with special skin,

尾巴，是一件优雅得体的工具，作为支柱或手或扫帚或斧头，

is not lost on this ant-and stone-swallowing uninjurable

其顶端如同大象的鼻尖，有特殊的皮肤。

artichoke which simpletons thought a living fable

对于这难以被伤害的甲胄动物来说，

whom the stones had nourished, whereas ants had done

并不是无用的。人们通常认为，

so. Pangolins are not aggressive animals; between

他靠石头和蚂蚁为生，是一种活生生的

dusk and day they have the not unchain-like machine-like

神话传说。穿山甲不具侵略性；在

form and frictionless creep of a thing

黄昏与黎明之间，他有坦克似的

made graceful by adversities, con-

外形和漂浮似的爬行，

versities. To explain grace requires

优雅地适应了逆境。

a curious hand. If that which is at all were not forever,

why would those who graced the spires

阐释上帝的恩宠需要

with animals and gathered there to rest, on cold luxurious

一双奇特的手。如果现存的一切不是永恒的，

low stone seats–a monk and monk and monk–between the

人们为何要用动物形象装饰教堂尖顶，使其显得优美，

thus

在那精巧的石柱之间，为何要雕刻

ingenious roof-supports, have slaved to confuse

丰美的矮石座来承托石像——一个又一个修道士的石像——

grace with a kindly manner, time in which to pay a

为何要辛勤地工作，融合

debt,

多重美德，爱邻人并信奉宽恕，

the cure for sins, a graceful use

为何要在石制窗框中巧妙地运用

of what are yet

至今仍受到赞赏的

approved stone mullions branching out across

十字型窗棂？一艘海船

the perpendiculars? A sailboat

was the first machine. Pangolins, made

是第一机械。穿山甲，也是如此。

for moving quietly also, are models of exactness,

用四条腿，沉默地滑行，

on four legs; on hind feet plantigrade,

堪称精确的典范；有时它按照人特有的姿势，

with certain postures of a man. Beneath sun and moon,

用后腿直行。在太阳和月亮下，人们为了活得更好，

man slaving

努力工作着，却忽视了另一半值得拥有的鲜花。

to make his life more sweet, leaves half the flowers worth

必须聪明地选择如何运用他的力量；

having,

黄蜂似的造纸者；蚂蚁似的

needing to choose wisely how to use his strength;

食物搬运工；悬挂在绝壁上的

a paper-maker like the wasp; a tractor of foodstuffs,

蜘蛛似的

like the ant; spidering a length

结网者；在战斗中，配备

of web from bluffs

穿山甲似的机械装置；在沮丧中

above a stream; in fighting, mechanicked

like to pangolin; capsizing in

倾覆。俗气或完全

disheartenment. Bedizened or stark

赤裸裸的人，自我，我们称为人的存在，世界的

naked, man, the self, the being we call human, writing-

书写者，一个黑暗的怪兽，

master to this world, griffons a dark

“厌恶他可憎的同类”，不肯原谅他人的

"Like does not like like that is obnoxious"; and writes error

过错。在动物中，只有人才有幽默感：

with four

幽默消除了一些困扰，节省了时间。他稍具见解，

r’s. Among animals, one has a sense of humor.

谦逊，冷漠，又感情用事，

Humor saves a few steps, it saves years. Uningnorant,

有不屈不饶的毅力，

modest and unemotional, and all emotion,

和前进的能力，

he has everlasting vigor,

是能使其他生物呼吸加快、寒毛竖立的

power to grow,

为数不多的动物之一。

though there are few creatures who can make one

有时毫不畏惧，

breathe faster and make one erecter.

有时胆怯不前，有时步履谨慎，好像

Not afraid of anything is he,

每一步都会遭遇不测。符合

and then goes cowering forth, tread paced to meet an obstacle

如下标准——温血，无鳃，有四肢和少许毛发——

at every step. Consistent with the

他

formula–warm blood, no gills, two pairs of hands and a few

是一种哺乳动物；坐在自己的栖息地，

hairs–that

穿着毛料衣服，厚重的鞋子。被恐惧追逐。他，总是

is a mammal; there he sits in his own habitat,

缩头缩脑，黯然失色，因黑夜来临而受挫，遗憾于

serge-clad, strong-shod. The prey of fear, he, always

未竟的事业，

curtailed, extinguished, thwarted by the dusk, work

对替换黑夜的光明说，

partly done,

“太阳将再次升起！

says to the alternating blaze,

新的一天到来；新的新的新的

"Again the sun!

阳光进入我的心灵，并安抚我的灵魂。”

anew each day; and new and new and new,

that comes into and steadies my soul."