Even though I managed to swerve around the lump

虽然我勉强绕过了那小小一团

of groundhog lying on its back on the road,

仰卧在路中间的土拔鼠，

he traveled with me for miles,

他却上车跟着我走了很远，

a quiet passenger

一位安静的乘客

who passed the time looking out the window

看着窗外的风景消磨时光

enjoying this new view of the woods

以新的视角欣赏那片树林

he once hobbled around in,

在那儿他曾步履蹒跚，

sleeping all day and foraging at night,

昼伏夜出地活着，

rising sometimes to consult the wind with his snout.

时不时还用鼻尖测测风向。

Last night he must have wandered

昨夜他一定是游荡到了

onto the road, hoping to slip

路上，希望能悄悄溜进

behind the curtain of soft ferns on the other side.

有柔软蕨类掩映的一旁。

I see these forms every day

每天我都会在路上看见这些身形

and always hope the next one ahead

总希望下一个

is a shredded tyre, a discarded brown coat,

不过是片碎轮胎，或是被扔掉的褐色外衣，

but there they are, assuming

可那里躺着的总是他们，摆着

every imaginable pose for death’s portrait.

人所能想象的每一种姿势给死亡造像。

This one I speak of, for example,

例如，我讲述的这一位，

the one who rode with me for miles,

在我的车上跟了很久的这一位，

reminded me of a small Roman citizen,

他的样子好像一个小小的罗马公民，

with his prosperous belly,

挺着圆滚滚的肚子，

his faint smile,

他脸上淡淡的笑，

and his one stiff forearm raised

和一只直直举起的胳膊

as if he were still alive, still hailing Caesar.

仿佛还活着，还在向凯撒敬礼。