I was only a young man

那时，我还是

In those days. On that evening

一个年轻人。那天晚上，

The cold was so God damned

天气寒冷刺骨，

Bitter there was nothing.

四处空荡荡的。

Nothing. I was in trouble

空无一物。我跟一个女人

With a woman, and there was nothing

产生了一点儿麻烦。周围空无一物，

There but me and dead snow.

只有我，和沉寂的雪。

I stood on the street corner

我站在街角，被风雪

In Minneapolis, lashed

肆意扫荡的

This way and that.

明尼阿波利斯的街角。

Wind rose from some pit,

风从某个坑洞里升起来，

Hunting me.

追赶着我。

Another bus to Saint Paul

下一辆去往圣保罗的汽车，

Would arrive in three hours,

将在三小时之内抵达，

If I was lucky.

如果我幸运的话。

Then the young Sioux

后来，那个年轻的苏族人*

Loomed beside me, his scars

出现在我身边。他有着我这个年龄

Were just my age.

才会有的伤疤。

Ain't got no bus here

这里将很久都不会

A long time, he said.

再来汽车了，他说。

You got enough money

你有足够的钱

To get home on?

回家吗？

What did they do

他们把你的手

To your hand? I answered.

怎么了？我反问他。

He raised up his hook into the terrible starlight

他把钩子举起来，伸进那可怖的星光，

And slashed the wind.

在风中挥舞了一下。

Oh, that? he said.

喔，那个呀？他说。

I had a bad time with a woman. Here,

我曾经和一个女人度过了一段糟糕的时光。喏，

You take this.

拿着这个。

Did you ever feel a man hold

你曾有过这种体验吗：一个人

Sixty-five cents

用一只钩子

In a hook,

拿着65美分，

And place it

然后

Gently

轻轻地

In your freezing hand?

将它放在你冰冷的手中？

I took it.

我接了钱。

It wasn't the money I needed.

我并不需要这点钱。

But I took it.

但是我接下了它。

译注

*苏族人，居住于北美的一支印第安人。