All the difficult hours and minutes

所有那些艰难的小时和分钟

are like salted plums in a jar.

像是罐子里盐渍的青梅

Wrinkled, turn steeply into themselves,

满脸皱纹，陡峭地变回自己

they mutter something the color of  sharkfins to the glass.

他们咕哝了一些鱼翅颜色的东西到玻璃瓶里。

Just so, calamity turns toward calmness.

就这样，灾难转向平静。

First the jar holds the umeboshi, then the rice does.

先是罐子盛着梅干，然后米饭盛着。