过了这么久，你想

After so much time you think

你要把它织入

you'd have it netted

语言的网中。但它又一次

in the mesh of language. But again

重构，像普罗透斯*一样善变。

it reconfigures, slick as Proteus.

你在厨房里交谈

You're in the kitchen talking

和你的前海军弟弟，他的两个孩子

with your ex-Navy brother, his two kids

攀着他纹过的手臂，当他继续

snaking over his tattooed arms, as he goes on

关于又一次失业的话题。

& on about being out of work again.

你已经听了一个小时了，

For an hour now you've listened,

他的脸在灯光下变得更加暗淡

his face growing dimmer in the lamplight

当你不停地看表的时候

as you keep glancing at your watch

直到它又来了：幽灵浮现

until it's there again: the ghost rising

就像第一次，当你

as it did that first time when you,

最年长的那个，离家结婚。

the oldest, left home to marry.

你进到小船里，独自一人，注视着

You're in the boat again, alone, and staring

他们六个，你的妹妹们

at the six of them, your sisters

和你的弟弟们，他们的脸上下浮动

& your brothers, their faces bobbing

在水中，当他们的手指抓住

in the water, as their fingers grapple

船舷。大船正在沉没，

for the gunwales. The ship is going down,

妈妈和它在一起。一只桨卡住了

your mother with it. One oar's locked

羽毛般漂着，另一只已经丢失

and feathered, and one oar's lost,

肮脏腥臭的污水淤积

there's a slop of gurry pooling

在底部，而你微小的小船

in the bottom, and your tiny boat

继续缓缓移动远离他们。

keeps drifting further from them.

在每一道苦涩的浪潮间，你都能数点

Between each bitter wave you can count

他们朝上的脸——白色的玫瑰

their upturned faces--white roses

散落在一片黏糊糊的海上，眼睛盯着

scattered on a mash of sea, eyes fixed

看看你会怎么做。而你?

to see what you will do. And you?

你是他们的保护者，你是他们的守卫者

You their old protector, you their guardian

和中间人？各人为自己，

and go-between? Each man for himself,

你记得当时这样想，他们的脸

you remember thinking, their faces

每划一桨就变得更加暗淡。

growing dimmer with each oarstroke.

【译注】

*普罗透斯Proteus，古希腊神话中的海神，能化身为各种形状。