凯利养了头没执照的公牛，远远从

Kellys kept an unlicensed bull, well away

大路躲开：想要到那儿给母牛配种，

From the road: one risked a fine, but had to pay

你须冒受罚之险，但还得照常付款。

The normal fee if cows were serviced there.

有一回我拽着一头紧张的弗里斯兰

Once I dragged a nervous Friesian on a tether

穿过花絮蓬茸的赤杨林荫小路，

Down a lane of alder, shaggy with catkin,

来到关着那头公牛的木棚之处。

Down to the shed the bull was kept in.

我塞给老凯利光溜的银币，为啥

I gave Old Kelly the clammy silver, though why

我却说不清，他咕哝一句“去吧，

I could not guess. He grunted a curt “Go by.

到那门楼上去”。居高而临，

Get up on that gate.” and from my lofty station

我注视着这做买卖似的受孕。

I watched the businesslike conception.

门，开了闩，咣当当撞回到墙垣。

The door, unbolted, whacked back against the wall.

那非法的种畜摸索着走出了厩栏

The illegal sire fumbled from his stall

就好像一台转轨的老火车头似的不慢不急。

Unhurried as an old steam engine shunting.

他兜圈，打呼噜，嗅着。没有兴奋的喘息，

He circled, snored, and nosed. No hectic panting,

只有和气的生意人似的从容不迫；

Just the unfussy ease of a good tradesman;

然后是笨拙而突如其来的一跃，

Then an awkward unexpected jump, and

他那疙里疙瘩的前腿跨上了她的腰胯，

His knobbled forelegs straddling her flank,

冷漠得似辆坦克，他把生命撞击到家；

He slammed life home, impassive as a tank.

下来的时候好像一只沙袋，坠地翻倒。

Dropping off like a tipped-up load of sand.

“她准行。”凯利说着，用木棍轻敲

“She’ll do,” said Kelly and tapped his ash-plant

她的后腿。“不行的话，再把她牵回来。”

Across her hindquarters. “If not, bring her back.”

我走在她的前头，缰绳现在松垂了下来；

I walked ahead of her, the rope now slack

而凯利吆喝着，戳打着他的非法分子：

While Kelly whooped and prodded his outlaw

那家伙有了空闲，又回到暗处，进食。

Who, in his own time, resumed the dark, the straw.