我是伏在

I grew up bent over

棋盘上长大的。

a chessboard.

我喜欢残局这个词儿。

I loved the word endgame.

那会儿我那些表哥全都忧心忡忡。

All my cousins looked worried.

这是一间小屋，

It was a small house

靠近一处古罗马坟场。

near a Roman graveyard.

飞机坦克

Planes and tanks

震动了窗玻璃。

shook its windowpanes.

一位退休的天文学教授

A retired professor of astronomy

向我传授棋艺。

taught me how to play.

那肯定是在1944年。

That must have been in 1944.

我们正下着的这一盘，

In the set we were using,

彩棋差不多吃光了

the paint had almost chipped off

黑子。

the black pieces.

白色的王不见了

The white King was missing

只好用别的替代。

and had to be substituted for.

我听人说过可又不信

I’m told but do not believe

那年夏天我真的目睹了

that that summer I witnessed

男人们吊死在电线杆上。

men hung from telephone poles.

我记得母亲

I remember my mother

完全蒙住我的眼睛。

blindfolding me a lot.

她有办法猛地把我的脑袋

She had a way of tucking my head

藏到她的大衣下边。

suddenly under her overcoat.

教授对我说，下棋也有这种情况，

In chess, too, the professor told me,

大师蒙住眼睛跟人交手，

the masters play blindfolded,

那些最了不起的同时在

the great ones on several boards

几个棋盘上与人对弈。

at the same time.