整整一生

All my life

我与她

I was face to face

面对面，吃饭如此，

with her, at meal-times,

烤火如此，甚至

by the fire, even

床帏之欢

in the ultimate intimacies

也是如此。你也许问过

of the bed. You could have asked,

她的一些情况？

then, for information

哦，有个房间

about her? There was a room

她把自己关在里面，

apart she kept herself in,

逗我，引我

teasing me by leading me

走到玻璃门前，然而

to its glass door, only

我撞见的却是

to confront me with

自己的镜像。即便这样

my reflection. I learned from her

我仍向她学习。漫步在她岸边

even so. Walking her shore

我发现了一些浮物

I found things cast up

来自她的深处，对我讲说

from her depths that spoke

另一种秩序，

to me of another order,

因为我崇拜

worshipper as I was

未驯服的自然。她

of untamed nature. She fetched

从艺术宝库取出

her treasures from art’s

自己的珍宝：几条古老的

storehouse: pieces of old

花边，精致如霜；

lace, delicate as frost;

瓷器，记不清

china from a forgotten

年代；一个钱包，价值高于

period; a purse more valuable

它所能装下的任何东西。

than anything it could contain.

我捧着鲜花

Coming in from the fields

从原野中走来，

with my offering of flowers

却发现她的花园

I found her garden

已抢先为我的书案

had forestalled me in providing

放上了文明之花。

civilities for my desk.

“跟我讲讲生命吧。”

‘Tell me about life,’

我说，“你呀

I would say, ‘you who were

是它的使者，送来

its messenger in the delivery

我们的孩子。” 她双目

of our child.’ Her eyes had a

含羞，以为自己的秘密

fine shame, remembering her privacy

老远就被识破，出乎

being invaded from further off than

她所料。“ 你认为

she expected. ‘Do you think

死是终结吗？”

death is the end?’ frivolously

我愚蠢地问。现在我只记得

I would ask her. I recall

死神来得太快，

now the swiftness of its arrival

猛地按住她的唇，当时

wrenching her lip down, and how

她脸上的表情依然坚定，

the upper remained firm,

矜持，如

reticent as the bud that is

那花的骨朵。

the precursor of the flower.