冬末，我跨过水坑，想起中国古代的一位地方官张文武译

As I Step Over A Puddle At The End Of Winter, I Think Of An Ancient Chinese Governor詹姆斯·赖特

况吾时与命，
蹇舛不足恃。
——白居易《初入峡有感》
     作于819年

And how can I, born in evil days
And fresh from failure, ask a kindness of Fate?
-- Written A.D. 819

白居易，你这开始秃顶的老政治家啊，

Po Chu-i, balding old politician,

有什么用呢？

What's the use?

我想起了

I think of you,

不安地进入三峡的你，

Uneasily entering the gorges of the Yang-Tze,

为了那一官半职

When you were being towed up the rapids

坐在被拉着逆流而上的船上，

Toward some political job or other

奔赴忠州城。

In the city of Chungshou.

我猜你到那儿的时候

You made it, I guess,

天已经黑了。

By dark.

而现在是1960年，眼看又是春天了，

But it is 1960, it is almost spring again,

明尼阿波利斯高高的岩石，

And the tall rocks of Minneapolis

带来了我自己幽暗的黄昏，

Build me my own black twilight

竹索和水的黄昏。

Of bamboo ropes and waters.

你的好友元稹在哪里？

Where is Yuan Chen, the friend you loved?

那曾经将整个中西部的孤独都带走了的

Where is the sea, that once solved the whole loneliness

大海在哪里？明尼阿波利斯在哪里？除了这棵

Of the Midwest?Where is Minneapolis? I can see nothing

因为冬天的到来而变黑的可怕的橡树，我什么都看不见。

But the great terrible oak tree darkening with winter.

你找到群山之外那座沦落人的城市了吗？

Did you find the city of isolated men beyond mountains?

抑或是，将一根已然磨损的绳子的一端

Or have you been holding the end of a frayed rope

握了一千年？

For a thousand years?

译注

*最初发布时名为《詹姆斯·赖特眼中的白居易》