In the meadow this afternoon, I fetch

今天下午在草地上，我想起

any number of crazy memories. That 

好些荒唐的往事。那个

undertaker asking my mother did she 

殡仪馆的人问我母亲

want to buy the entire suit to bury my dad in,

要不要买一整套寿衣给我爸爸穿上下葬，

or just the coat? I don’t 

还是只要上衣？我不想

have to provide the answer to this,

回答这个问题

or anything else. But, hey, he went

或其他任何问题。但是，嘿，

into the furnace wearing his britches.

他穿着马裤，就进了熔炉。

This morning I looked at his picture.

今天早上我看着他的照片

Big, heavyset guy in the last year

大个儿，魁梧的家伙，在他生命的

of his life. Holding a monster salmon

最后一年。提着一条巨大的鲑鱼

in front of the shack where he lived 

站在他住过的小木屋前，

in Fortuna, California. My dad.

那是在加利福尼亚的弗尔图娜。我的爸爸。

He’s nothing now. Reduced to a cup of ashes,

现在他已化为乌有。只剩一抔灰烬，

and some tiny bones. No way

和几根细小的骨头。无论如何

is this any way 

这绝不是

to end your life as a man.

一个男人结束生命的方式。

Though as Hemingway correctly pointed out,

虽然海明威曾经正确地指出

all stories, if continued far enough,

所有故事，只要延续的时间足够长

end in death. Truly.

都将终于死亡。很对。

Lord, it’s almost fall.

啊，秋天就要来了。

A flock of Canada geese passes

一群加拿大雁飞过

high overhead. The little mare lifts 

高高的天空。那匹小母马

her head, shivers once, goes back 

抬起头，打了个哆嗦，又

to grazing. I think I will lie down

埋头吃草。我想我会躺下来

in this sweet grass. I’ll shut my eyes

在这片芬芳的草地上。我会闭上眼

and listen to wind, and the sound of wings.

听着风，和翅膀的声音。

Just dream for an hour, glad to be here

就做那么一小时的梦，为在这里

and not there. There’s that. But also

而不是在那里，而高兴。就这样。但还是挥之不去，

the terrible understanding 

那可怕的念头，

that men I loved have left

我爱过的人已经走了，

for some other, lesser place.

去了别的，更微不足道的地方。