I will grieve alone,

我将独自悲伤，

As I strolled alone, years ago, down along

那时我一个人闲逛，几年前，沿着

The Ohio shore.

俄亥俄河畔。

I hid in the hobo jungle weeds

我隐没在流浪者丛林的野草

Upstream from the sewer main,

从主排水管处往上走，

Pondering, gazing.

一边沉思，眺望着。

I saw, down river,

我看见，河边一带，

At Twenty-third and Water Streets

醋厂附近的

By the vinegar works,

二十三街和沃特街，

The doors open in early evening.

傍晚很早就开了门。

Swinging their purses, the women

招摇着手提包的女人们

Poured down the long street to the river

沿长长的大街蜂拥到河边

And into the river.

或河上。

I do not know how it was

我不知道她们能怎样

They could drown every evening.

淹没于每个夜晚，

What time near dawn did they climb up the other shore,

黎明前几点钟爬上另一边河岸，

Drying their wings?

晾干她们的翅膀？

For the river at Wheeling, West Virginia,

因为西弗吉尼亚惠灵那条河，

Has only two shores:

只有两条岸：

The one in hell, the other

一条在地狱，另一条

In Bridgeport, Ohio.

在俄亥俄州布里奇波特①。

And nobody would commit suicide, only

而且没有人会犯自杀罪，只是

To find beyond death

去寻求死亡之外的

Bridgeport, Ohio.

俄亥俄州布里奇波特。

译注：

①布里奇波特（Bridgeport）是康狄涅格州的第一大城市。