它比各种美的礼仪

It is more onerous

或者是家务事

than the rites of beauty

都要繁重苛刻，比爱还艰难。

or housework, harder than love.

但你很轻巧地指望我如此，

But you expect it of me casually,

就像你期待着太阳

the way you expect the sun

照常升起，无论风雨和乌云

to come up, not in spite of rain

或恰恰是因为刮风下雨。

or clouds but because of them.

于是我微笑，似乎我对哀伤的

And so I smile, as if my own fidelity

忠贞是个隐秘的恶习——

to sadness were a hidden vice—

我往下拉着的嘴角，

that downward tug on my mouth,

还有我多年的疑虑，觉得

my old suspicion that health

健康和爱情都是短暂的旁枝末节，

and love are brief irrelevancies,

无异于温暖暗夜中发出的笑声

no more than laughter in the warm dark

凌晨一到就被窒灭。

strangled at dawn.

幸福。我再一次试图

Happiness. I try to hoist it

用我狭窄的肩膀把它扛起——

on my narrow shoulders again—

一个装满金币的沉重包裹。

a knapsack heavy with gold coins.

我在房子里跌跌撞撞，

I stumble around the house,

四处碰壁。

bump into things.

唯有点石成金的迈达斯（Midas）

Only Midas himself

才会懂得。

would understand.