在十月末有时我会驾车

Sometimes I get in my car on a late October day

北上。做一些我从未做过的事——

And drive north.  Everything that I haven't done-

搜索，探望——所有那些不愿存活的理由——

Raking, visiting-all those reasons for not living-

消失了。我穿过一半被废弃的夏日小镇

Fall away.  I pass half-abandoned summer towns,

欣赏着那些光秃秃的树上落在无遮蔽的湖上

Admiring the shadows thrown by bare trees

的阴影。那里冰冷的波浪轻拍着沙滩。

On bare lakes where cold waves lap the sand.

叛教者的牧师——大家都谈论的

The renegade minister-the one they all gossip

那个人——也会看到这些波浪，在他把

About-would see those waves too, after throwing

他礼拜日戴的帽子扔出窗外之后。他会

His Sunday hat out the window.  He'll be

没事的。死亡拥抱着橡树叶的阴蔽面。

All right.  Death hugs the underside of oak leaves.

在每个你经过的小海湾，你会看见

In each cove you pass you will see

终究要说一次“不”的景物。

What you had to say no to once.

如果你走向沙滩，你会觉得不错。

It's all right if you walk down to the shore.

你会感觉到时间消逝，就如夏日消逝一样。

You'll feel time passing, the way the summer has.

你将看到雨滴留在细沙上的小洞

You'll see the little holes that raindrops leave in fine sand

以及往岩石上漂移的陈旧的钓鱼线。

And the old fishing lines driven up on the rocks.