The stiff spokes of this wheel

僵硬的轮毂

touch the sore spots of the earth.

触碰着大地的痛处。

On the Potomac, swan-white

在波多马克河上，天鹅白的游艇

power launches keep breasting the sulphurous wave.

不断呼吸着硫磺色的波浪。

Otters slide and dive and slick back their hair,

水獓们滑行潜泳向后梳着它们的毛发，

raccoons clean their meat in the creek.

浣熊在小溪里洗着它们的肉食。

On the circles, green statues ride like South American

在环路上，绿色的骑像就像南美洲的

liberators above the breeding vegetation—

解放者们立于凶猛繁殖的植物之上——

prongs and spearheads of some equatorial

它们如同赤道荒原的植物一样尖冲突刺

backland that will inherit the globe.

最终将继承整个地球。

The elect, the elected… they come here bright as dimes,

选举，当选者……他们来时就像硬币一样闪亮，

and die dishevelled and soft.

死时已经干瘪疲软。

We cannot name their names, or number their dates—

我们叫不出他们的名字，或者说出相关的日期——

circle on circle, like rings on a tree—

一轮又一轮，就像树木的年轮——

but we wish the river had another shore,

但我们希望河流还有彼岸，

some further range of delectable mountains,

在那可以感知的远山边缘，

distant hills powdered blue as a girl’s eyelid.

远山的点点蓝色如女孩的眼睑。

It seems the least little shove would land us there,

看起来只要轻轻一推就能让我们到达那里。

that only the slightest repugnance of our bodies

但是我们身体无法自控的最轻微的抵抗

we no longer control could drag us back.

又会把我们拉回。