我在船坞静静躺着，
In a stable of boats I lie still,
远离睡眠中的孩子们。
From all sleeping children hidden.
一条鱼自它的阴影跃出，
The leap of a fish from its shadow
整个湖面立时震颤。
Makes the whole lake instantly tremble.
我以足触水，能感到
With my foot on the water, I feel
外面的月亮
The moon outside
正为光辉竭尽全力。
Take on the utmost of its power.
我起身，穿过船只，
I rise and go out through the boats.
脚底碰到那银色，
I set my broad sole upon silver,
天空的肌肤，那月光。
On the skin of the sky, on the moonlight,
为寻找奇迹，
Stepping outward from earth onto water
我自人世涉入水中。
In quest of the miracle
整个村庄的孩子们相信，
This village of children believed
当我跃入水中，可以救出
That I could perform as I dived
从我的视线中消失的那一位。
For one who had sunk from my sight.
我看到他的短头发沉入水下。
I saw his cropped haircut go under.
我起跳，耸立的身体
I leapt, and my steep body flashed
在日光中闪烁了一次。
Once, in the sun.
黑暗从我的眼中抽走所有光亮，
Dark drew all the light from my eyes.
如一个人探测他的死亡，
Like a man who explores his death
我慢慢挪动肩膀，
By the pull of his slow-moving shoulders,
一头扎入冰冷的水中，
I hung head down in the cold,
圆睁双目，以克制，孤身一人
Wide-eyed, contained, and alone
潜入水草丛中。
Among the weeds,
我的指尖因为抓紧
And my fingertips turned into stone
坚不可撼的黑色而变为石头
From clutching immovable blackness.
我一次又一次向前，
Time after time I leapt upward
大口喘气，又因孩子们看见
Exploding in breath, and fell back
我的失败，在他们变幻的脸色中
From the change in the children’s faces
向后撤退。
At my defeat.
在他们之下，我游向船坞，
Beneath them I swam to the boathouse
怀抱自己的生命，
With only my life in my arms
等待月升时湖面
To wait for the lake to shine back
重新闪耀。明月千里，
At the risen moon with such power
托举我，在水面的
That my steps on the light of the ripples
涟漪之光上行进。
Might be sustained.
在我之下，只有光亮，
Beneath me is nothing but brightness
如夏日雪原上的幽灵。
Like the ghost of a snowfield in summer.
当我移向湖的中心，
As I move toward the center of the lake,
我也移向明月的内核。
Which is also the center of the moon,
我在思索着，如何
I am thinking of how I may be
才能拯救那个
The savior of one
在我的看护下溺水的孩子。
Who has already died in my care.
黑色的树林从我身边褪去，
The dark trees fade from around me.
月光的灰尘在旋转。
The moon’s dust hovers together.
我轻声呼唤，他的声音
I call softly out, and the child’s
就在耀眼的水波中做出应答，
Voice answers through blinding water.
缓慢地，充满耐心。
Patiently, slowly,
终于他从水中升起，身影变大，
He rises, dilating to break
以他的额头击碎石头。
The surface of stone with his forehead.
可我知道，我从未
He is one I do not remember
见过他生前的样子。
Having ever seen in his life.
他微笑着，我脚下的一切
The ground I stand on is trembling
在不断战栗。
Upon his smile.
我洗去手上的污泥，
I wash the black mud from my hands.
就着墓地里的灯光。
On a light given off by the grave
我跪在月光的内核，
I kneel in the quick of the moon
在远方树林的中心。
At the heart of a distant forest
我的怀中，抱着一个
And hold in my arms a child
水的，水的，水的孩子。
Of water, water, water.