现在，他们已不再是

Now they are no longer

彼此的任何麻烦

any trouble to each other

他可以把事情都翻一遍，列出

he can turn things over, get down to that list

从未发生之事的清单，所有

of things that never happened, all of the lost

消逝的无法完成的事情。

unfinishable business.

例如那个……例如

For instance… for instance,

他从没剪下她的头发，保存下来，从没

how he never clipped and kept her hair, or drew a hairbrush

顺着她发型用发刷梳梳，从未体会过

through that style of hers, and never knew how not to blush

在亲密陪伴的场合听到她名字而脸红。

at the fall of her name in close company.

他们竟从未像餐具埋起来那样入睡——

How they never slept like buried cutlery –

两把勺子或叉子完美地贴在一起，

two spoons or forks cupped perfectly together,

或者充分利用一些恶劣的天气——

or made the most of some heavy weather –

披着片状闪电，走进倾盆大雨，

walked out into hard rain under sheet lightning,

或者一人开车，一人换挡。

or did the gears while the other was driving.

他竟也从未抬起手指

How he never raised his fingertips

阻止她轻启朱唇

to stop the segments of her lips

说破那条消息，

from breaking the news,

或品尝那个水果，

or tasted the fruit

从未把她如梨的心摘下留给自己，

or picked for himself the pear of her heart,

或把她的手举到他自己心的部位，

or lifted her hand to where his own heart

那只握在她手中的一只又小鸟，

was a small, dark, terrified bird

黑黑的，瑟瑟的。那儿会痛。

in her grip. Where it hurt.

从未说对话，

Or said the right thing,

或写下来。

or put it in writing.

从没在午夜之前偷跑那黑黑的一英里

And never fled the black mile back to his house

回到他家，或者哄她再解开一个上衣纽扣，

before midnight, or coaxed another button of her blouse,

然后再解开一个，

then another,

从不知道她

or knew her

最喜欢的颜色，

favourite colour,

她的品味，她的风味，

her taste, her flavour,

从没给她洗澡或递毛巾，

and never ran a bath or held a towel for her,

或者给她打肥皂，或把她头发

or soft-soaped her, or whipped her hair

打乱编成甜筒或泡沫蜂巢，

into an ice-cream cornet or a beehive

或者在他可能得手时，举止失当，

of lather, or acted out of turn, or misbehaved

或逾越界限，或者没有梳子

when he might have, or worked a comb

却梳你的头，或者抱着一颗被刺破的心，

where no comb had been, or walked back home

穿过那黑黑的一英里走回家，

through a black mile hugging a punctured heart,

那里会痛，那里会痛，也没有帮她

where it hurt, where it hurt, or helped her hand

把手捂到他的心上，

to his butterfly heart

那就像蝴蝶的两个蓝色翅膀。

in its two blue halves.

从没有差点哭出去，

And never almost cried,

从没有描述过

and never once described

心脏病发作，

an attack of the heart,

或在丝绸衬衫下

or under a silk shirt

用手呵护她的乳房，

nursed in his hand her breast,

她的左边，像心脏

her left, like a tear of flesh

哭出的一滴肉，

wept by the heart,

那儿会痛，

where it hurts,

从没用拇指轻刷她乳头的螺母，

or brushed with his thumb the nut of her nipple,

或从她的肚脐里喝醉人的醇酒。

or drank intoxicating liquors from her navel.

从没以她的名字给北极星命名，

Or christened the Pole Star in her name,

或者像火焰或火引子遮住

or shielded the mask of her face like a flame,

她脸庞的面具，

a pilot light,

从没通宵不睡，

or stayed the night,

或者把她引回他的屋子，

or steered her back to that house of his,

或者说“别问我喜欢你

or said “Don’t ask me how it is

是怎样的。

I like you.

我就只会这样做。”

I just might do.”

他怎么就从没想出一个防火方案，

How he never figured out a fireproof plan,

或解开她的手，好像她的手

or unravelled her hand, as if her hand

是一个银箔

were a solid ball

包着的实心球，

of silver foil

里面藏着一条生命线，

and discovered a lifeline hiding inside it,

而他把自己的线贴着它对比。

and measured the trace of his own alongside it.

然而话是说了一些，却从没什么意思——

But said some things and never meant them –

任何人都可以顺口说的甜言蜜语。

sweet nothings anybody could have mentioned.

而他本应说的一些话他却没说，

And left unsaid some things he should have spoken,

至于心，它究竟怎么痛，多么频繁。

about the heart, where it hurt exactly, and how often.