因为需要，我创造了她——

Needing one, I invented her -

这个伟大的姑妈像山胡桃树一样黑

the great-great-aunt dark as hickory

名叫亮叶子，或者浮云

called Shining-Leaf, or Drifting-Cloud

或者夜美人。

or The-Beauty-of-the-Night.

我在叶子中呼喊，亲爱的姑妈，

Dear aunt, I"d call into the leaves,

她就会站起来，像池塘中一根古旧的木头，

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

用一种只有我们俩才懂的语言，低声

and whisper in a language only the two of us knew

吩咐我跟随，

the word that meant follow,

我们将去旅行

and we"d travel

像快乐的鸟儿一样

cheerful as birds

离开灰尘扑扑的小镇，一旦进入树林

out of the dusty town and into the trees

她就把我们俩变成某种更敏捷的动物——

where she would change us both into something quicker -

两只黑脚狐狸，

two foxes with black feet,

两条绿丝带似的蛇，

two snakes green as ribbons,

两条闪光的鱼——我们将整天旅行。

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

夜晚来临时，她离开我，让我回到自己的家

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

和家人呆在一起，

with the rest of my family,

他们心地善良，却像木头一样顽固

who were kind, but solid as wood

从不流浪。而她，

and rarely wandered. While she,

是羽毛和白桦树皮缠绕成的一团

old twist of feathers and birch bark,

像雨一样盘旋着，又

would walk in circles wide as rain and then

飘回来

float back

将黎明的光

scattering the rags of twilight

播撒在飞舞的蛾翅上，

on fluttering moth wings;

或者，像一只负鼠，懒散地呆在谷仓；

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

或者，悬挂在凝练的月光下，

or she"d hang in the milky moonlight

像一枚耀眼的大奖章，

burning like a medallion,

这个深刻的梦想，这个我需要的朋友，

this bone dream, this friend I had to have,

这个老妇人，是用叶子做成的。

this old woman made out of leaves.