星期六早晨，他到河边去玩耍，
One Saturday morning he went to the river to play.
用河泥捏出12只麻雀，
He molded twelve sparrows out of the river clay
然后用树枝和泥土筑堤，围出一个清水池塘，
And scooped a clear pond, with a dam of twigs and mud.
他把自做的雀鸟放于池塘周边，
Around the pond he set the birds he had made,
如同时针一样均匀。耶稣5岁。他笑了，
Evenly as the hours. Jesus was five. He smiled,
像孩子一样笑，孩童在河边造出
As a child would who had made a little world
清水和粘土的小世界都会这么笑。
Of clear still water and clay beside a river.
但某个犹太人路过（他父亲的一个朋友），
But a certain Jew came by, a friend of his father,
训斥这孩子，然后立刻跑去找约瑟夫，
And he scolded the child and ran at once to Joseph,
他说，“快来看你孩子如何亵渎了安息日，
Saying, “Come see how your child has profaned the Sabbath,
在河上制造出一些景象，在休息日。”
Making images at the river on the Day of Rest.”
于是约瑟夫跑到那里，伸出手
So Joseph came to the place and took his wrist
对他说，“孩子，你冒犯了圣字。”
And told him, “Child, you have offended the Word.”
耶稣从约瑟夫拽紧的手里脱身，
Then Jesus freed the hand that Joseph held
拍了拍双手，大声叫雀鸟
And clapped his hands and shouted to the birds
离开。它们听到后翘起尖嘴，
To go away. They raised their beaks at his words
呼吸，抖动羽毛，飞走了。
And breathed and stirred their feathers and flew away.
人们吓坏了。与此同时，另一个男孩，
The people were frightened. Meanwhile, another boy,
大祭司亚那的儿子，很无聊地
The son of Annas the scribe, had idly taken
拿一块浮木，斜着捅破了
A branch of driftwood and leaning against it had broken
水坝，搅混了小池塘，散开了
The dam and muddied the little pond and scattered
树枝和石头。耶稣愤怒极了，喊道，
The twigs and stones. Then Jesus was angry and shouted,
“你这不义的，不虔诚的，无知的，
“Unrighteous, impious, ignorant, what did the water
水碍你什么事了？你会像树一样
Do to harm you? Now you are going to wither
枯萎，你会结不出果子，
The way a tree does, you shall bear no fruit
长不出叶子，你会一直枯萎到根部。”
And no leaves, you shall wither down to the root.”
立刻，那男孩就枯萎了。他父母哀号，
At once, the boy was all withered. His parents moaned,
犹太人都倒吸一口冷气，耶稣走开，然后转过身
The Jews gasped, Jesus began to leave, then turned
发出预言，他童稚的脸上满是泪水：
And prophesied, his child’s face wet with tears:
“十二倍之十二倍的十二千年之前，
“Twelve times twelve times twelve thousands of years
还没有天堂和地球的时候，
Before these heavens and this earth were made,
造物主在神的宝座上放了一颗宝石，
The Creator set a jewel in the throne of God
地狱在左，天堂在右，
With Hell on the left and Heaven to the right,
保护区在前，在后，无尽的黑夜
The Sanctuary in front, and behind, an endless night
无休止的逃离，《托拉》写于火焰。
Endlessly fleeing a Torah written in flame.
宝座上的宝石上，上帝写下我的名字。”
And on that jewel in the throne, God wrote my name.”
耶稣离开，走进约瑟夫的房子。
Then Jesus left and went into Joseph’s house.
那枯萎男孩的一家也离开了，
The family of the withered one also left the place,
把他抬回家。安息日就要结束了。
Carrying him home. The Sabbath was nearly over.
黄昏时分，犹太人都从河里消失。
By dusk, the Jews were all gone from the river.
小生物从灌木丛中走出来喝水，
Small creatures came from the undergrowth to drink
沿着河岸的阴影觅食。
And foraged in the shadows along the bank.
“人类之子”呆在约瑟夫的房子里
Alone in his cot in Joseph’s house, the Son
独自哭，哭着睡着了。月亮
Of Man was crying himself to sleep. The moon
高升，犹太人熄灯，睡觉，
Rose higher, the Jews put out their lights and slept,
一切平静下来，犹如初始，除了
And all was calm and as it had been, except
亚那大祭司不安宁的一家，
In the agitated household of the scribe Annas,
黑暗中的高处，连耶稣也不甚明了的地方
And high in the dark, where unknown even to Jesus
12只新麻雀飞来飞去，穿过夜晚，
The twelve new sparrows flew aimlessly through the night,
不眨眼，不休息，仿佛永远不会落下。
Not blinking or resting, as if never to alight.