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