太阳落山，苍茫的暮色泛起蓝光，

So what said the others and the sun went down

别人的话无所谓，但夫人的话却

And, in the brown blues of evening, the lady said.

在这毛驴耳中缭绕：“我担心

In the donkey’s ear, “I fear that elegance

优雅也得挣扎，跟俗物一样。”她攀登着，

Must struggle like the rest.” She climbed until

直到膝上的月光汇合她的天鹅绒，

The moonlight in her lap, mewing her velvet,

与她的裙色融为一体。她说：“我拒绝了

And her dress were one and she said, “I have said no

一切，为的是保全自己。

To everything, in order to get at myself.

我把月光抹掉如泥迹。你无邪的耳朵

I have wiped away moonlight like mud. Your innocent ear

是我的所有，如果我一丝不挂地奔走。”

And I, if I rode naked, are what remain.”

月光崩碎成低劣的形迹，当她

The moonlight crumbled to degenerate forms,

来到山顶，接近那崇高的黑暗里的

While she approached the real, upon her mountain.

真实。毛驴仍可骑，耳朵

With lofty darkness. The donkey was there to ride.

也可用以制动，虽然驴儿想要的铃铛，

To hold by the ear, even though it wished for a bell.

一心想要一只做假的铃铛。

Wished faithfully for a falsifying bell.

月光也改变不了它。而就她而言，

Neither the moonlight could change it. And for her.

活着，就是活着而已，不管天鹅绒，她

To be, regardless of velvet, could never be more

只能这样而不能别样地活着，

Than to be, she could never differently be.

她的否定之否定变成了肯定的可能。

Her no and no made yes impossible.

那是谁，那骑着马离她远去的？

Who was it passed her there on a horse all will.

是哪种强霸的想象的喻体？

What figure of capable imagination?

谁的马在她的来路上脆响，奔下

Whose horse clattered on the road on which she rose,

山去，对她的天鹅绒，对月光

As it descended, blind to her velvet and

无动于衷？是不是一个专注于太阳的骑手，

The moonlight? Was it a rider intent on the sun,

一个青年，一个头发散发磷光的情人

A youth, a lover with phosphorescent hair,

穿着寒酸，因澎湃的活力而狷狂，

Dressed poorly, arrogant of his streaming forces.

迷恋烈士的遗骨，从真实之境

Lost in an integration of the martyrs’ bones.

奔骋而下，而且如此强霸？

Rushing from what was real; and capable?

山村在熟睡，当这强霸者奔骋而下，

The villages slept as the capable man went down.

时间鞭醒了村里的座钟，使梦喧哗，

Time swished on the village clocks and dreams were alive.

使剧烈的锣声充满棱角和边锋。

The enormous gongs gave edges to their sounds.

而这骑手，穿着寒酸，也无头衔，

As the rider, no chevalere and poorly dressed,

厌恶着钟声和夜半的踪迹，奔骋于

Impatient of the bells and midnight forms,

嶙峋的巉石间，绝尘而去，

Rode over the picket rocks, rode down the road.

强霸的，可能的夺魁者，因为从

And, capable, created in his mind.

他的内心，从烈士的遗骨，他创造了

Eventual victor, out of the martyrs’ bones.

那最终的优雅：那个想象的王国。

The ultimate elegance: the imagined land.