We stand in the rain in a long line
我们在雨中排着长队
waiting at Ford Highland Park. For work.
在福特高地公园等待。等待工作。
You know what work is—if you’re
你知道工作是什么——如果你年龄足够大
old enough to read this you know what
可以读这首诗，你会知道工作是什么，
work is, although you may not do it.
尽管是可能并不工作。
Forget you. This is about waiting,
去你的吧。我接着等。
shifting from one foot to another.
左脚累了换右脚。
Feeling the light rain falling like mist
感受小雨就像雾一样落下来，
into your hair, blurring your vision
落在你的头发里，遮住你的视线
until you think you see your own brother
直到你觉得你的弟弟在你前面
ahead of you, maybe ten places.
中前隔着十来个人。
You rub your glasses with your fingers,
你用手指擦你的眼镜，
and of course it’s someone else’s brother,
看到的当然是别人的弟弟，
narrower across the shoulders than
他的肩膀比你弟要窄一些，
yours but with the same sad slouch, the grin
但是一样悲伤地驼着背，他咧嘴笑着
that does not hide the stubbornness,
掩饰不住内心的顽固，
the sad refusal to give in to
那悲伤的抗拒，
rain, to the hours of wasted waiting,
不屈服于雨水，不屈服于数小时浪费的时间，
to the knowledge that somewhere ahead
不屈服于最终的结果：等在前面的人说
a man is waiting who will say, “No,
“不，我们今天不招人”，只因
we’re not hiring today,” for any
他想要得到的东西。你爱你弟弟，
reason he wants. You love your brother,
现在你几乎被洪水一样奔涌的爱击倒。
now suddenly you can hardly stand
他没有在你身边
the love flooding you for your brother,
没有在你的前后，因为他在家里
who’s not beside you or behind or
试图在去凯迪拉克工厂上悲惨的夜班之前
ahead because he’s home trying to
睡着，这样他就可以在中午起来
sleep off a miserable night shift
学他的德语。
at Cadillac so he can get up
他每晚工作八小时
before noon to study his German.
这样他就可以唱他的瓦格纳——你最恨的歌剧
Works eight hours a night so he can sing
人类发明的最恶心的音乐。
Wagner, the opera you hate most,
你已经有多久没有告诉他，
the worst music ever invented.
你爱他，拥着他宽阔的双肩，
How long has it been since you told him
睁大双眼对他说那三个字，
you loved him, held his wide shoulders,
也许还会亲吻他的面颊？你永远不会
opened your eyes wide and said those words,
做这么简单，这么明显的事，
and maybe kissed his cheek? You’ve never
并不是因为你太年轻或者太笨，
done something so simple, so obvious,
不是因为你嫉妒甚至卑鄙
not because you’re too young or too dumb,
或者不能接受另一个人的存在，不，
not because you’re jealous or even mean
这只是因为你不知道工作是什么。
or incapable of crying in
the presence of another man, no,
just because you don’t know what work is.