Needing one, I invented her -

因为需要，我创造了她——

the great-great-aunt dark as hickory

这个伟大的姑妈像山胡桃树一样黑

called Shining-Leaf, or Drifting-Cloud

名叫亮叶子，或者浮云

or The-Beauty-of-the-Night.

或者夜美人。

Dear aunt, I"d call into the leaves,

我在叶子中呼喊，亲爱的姑妈，

and she"d rise up, like an old log in a pool,

她就会站起来，像池塘中一根古旧的木头，

and whisper in a language only the two of us knew

用一种只有我们俩才懂的语言，低声

the word that meant follow,

吩咐我跟随，

and we"d travel

我们将去旅行

cheerful as birds

像快乐的鸟儿一样

out of the dusty town and into the trees

离开灰尘扑扑的小镇，一旦进入树林

where she would change us both into something quicker -

她就把我们俩变成某种更敏捷的动物——

two foxes with black feet,

两只黑脚狐狸，

two snakes green as ribbons,

两条绿丝带似的蛇，

two shimmering fish - and all day we"d travel.

两条闪光的鱼——我们将整天旅行。

At day"s end she"d leave me back at my own door

夜晚来临时，她离开我，让我回到自己的家

with the rest of my family,

和家人呆在一起，

who were kind, but solid as wood

他们心地善良，却像木头一样顽固

and rarely wandered. While she,

从不流浪。而她，

old twist of feathers and birch bark,

是羽毛和白桦树皮缠绕成的一团

would walk in circles wide as rain and then

像雨一样盘旋着，又

float back

飘回来

scattering the rags of twilight

将黎明的光

on fluttering moth wings;

播撒在飞舞的蛾翅上，

or she"d slouch from the barn like a gray opossum;

或者，像一只负鼠，懒散地呆在谷仓；

or she"d hang in the milky moonlight

或者，悬挂在凝练的月光下，

burning like a medallion,

像一枚耀眼的大奖章，

this bone dream, this friend I had to have,

这个深刻的梦想，这个我需要的朋友，

this old woman made out of leaves.

这个老妇人，是用叶子做成的。