在月球之外，在蓝色星球

Beyond the moon, beyond planet blue

和红色星球之外，每天更远的

and planet red, each day further

离开太阳，她飘向

from the sun she floats out toward

空虚黑暗的X星。完成了

the empty dark of X. Having done

多年前她被派去做的事情

what she was sent out years before

之后，她放弃了发送哪怕是

to do, she gave up sending even

最微弱的信号回地球，

the faintest signals back to earth,

而是弯曲她破碎的双翅

to bend instead her shattered wings

覆盖在胸前取暖。天已

across her breast for warmth. It is

晚，他知道，并且知道只会

late, he knows, and knows it will only

越来越晚。他独自转来转去

go on getting later. He shifts alone

在11月下旬的光中，

in the late November light before

在她的墓前，就像过去五年来

her grave, as so often he has done

他经常做的那样，去尽力

these past five years, to try

完成他所知道的

and finish what he knows to be

未竟之事，必须保持

unfinished business and must remain

这样的状态: 这是单向对话

that way: this one-way dialogue

在自我，与——在她的缺席中——

between the self, and--in her absence--

他自己里面的母亲之间。尾声，也许，

the mother in himself. Epilogue, perhaps,

一个人可以做的医治

to what one man might do to heal

这个颤抖的灵魂，它最终必须承认

the shaken ghost which must at last admit

正是多少年前她中途退出了

just how many years ago she logged off

她的旅程。所以，此刻，当黑暗

on her journey. So that now, as darkness

降临在他的周围，像一件弃置的外衣，

drops about him like some discarded coat,

旧而有用，就像母亲过去常

old but useful, such as his mother used

穿的那样，他把它拿给他，也像

to wear, he takes it to him, much as

她所作的那样，抵御寒冷。

she did, to ward against the cold.