死神的任务有多少，

How much death works,

没人知道多漫长

No one knows what a long

自他投入工作那天。幼小的

Day he puts in. The little

妻子总是独自

Wife always alone

熨烫死神的衣衫。

Ironing death’s laundry.

漂亮的女儿们

The beautiful daughters

布置着死神的晚餐桌。

Setting death’s supper table.

邻居们玩着

The neighbors playing

纸牌游戏在后院

Pinochle in the backyard

或是蹲在台阶

Or just sitting on the steps

喝啤酒。死神

Drinking beer. Death,

此刻，在城里一个

Meanwhile, in a strange

陌生的地方搜寻

Part of town looking for

某个咳嗽严重的人，

Someone with a bad cough,

但地址不知何故出错，

But the address is somehow wrong,

连死神都无法辨认

Even death can’t figure it out

所有上锁的门......

Among all the locked doors ...

雨落下来。

And the rain beginning to fall.

狂风的夜晚就要来临。

Long windy night ahead.

死神甚至都没有一张报纸

Death with not even a newspaper

遮挡自己的头，也没有

To cover his head, not even

一毛钱去电话通知

A dime to call the one pining away,

那个脱衣缓慢，伸展四肢

Undressing slowly, sleepily,

一丝不挂地躺在

And stretching naked

死神床边的憔悴的人。

On death’s side of the bed.