I

1

By the road to the contagious hospital

去传染病院的路上

under the surge of the blue

冷风——从东北方向

mottled clouds driven from the

赶来蓝斑点点的

northeast-a cold wind. Beyond, the

汹涌层云。远处，

waste of broad, muddy fields

一片泥泞的荒野

brown with dried weeds, standing and fallen

野草枯黄，有立有伏

patches of standing water

一潭潭的死水

the scattering of tall trees

偶见几丛大树

All along the road the reddish

沿路尽是灌木

purplish, forked, upstanding, twiggy

小树，半紫半红

stuff of bushes and small trees

枝丫丛丛纠结

with dead, brown leaves under them

下面是枯黄的叶子

leafless vines—

无叶的藤——

Lifeless in appearance, sluggish

看来毫无生命，倦怠不堪

dazed spring approaches—

而莽撞的春天来临——

They enter the new world naked,

他们赤裸地进入新世界，

cold, uncertain of all

全身冰凉，什么都不明白

save that they enter. All about them

只知道他们在进入春天。而周围

the cold, familiar wind—

依然是熟悉的寒风——

Now the grass, tomorrow

瞧这些草，明天

the stiff curl of wildcarrot leaf

野胡萝卜那坚挺的卷叶

One by one objects are defined—

一件一件清清楚楚——

It quickens: clarity, outline of leaf

越来越快：明晰，这叶子的轮廓

But now the stark dignity of

可是在此刻，进入春天

entrance— Still, the profound change

依然那么艰难——然而深沉的变化

has come upon them: rooted, they

已经来到：它们扎住的根

grip down and begin to awaken

往下紧攫，开始醒来