All summer I made friends

整个夏天，我和邻近的生物

with the creatures nearby ---

交朋友——

they flowed through the fields

它们飘荡在田野

and under the tent walls,

和帐篷周围，

or padded through the door,

有时它们的脑袋钻进门帘

grinning through their many teeth,

露出一些牙齿

looking for seeds,

寻找种子，

suet, sugar; muttering and humming,

板油，糖；嘴里哼哼唧唧，

opening the breadbox, happiest when

打开面包盒，发现里面有牛奶和音乐时

there was milk and music. But once

无比开心。但是，有一个

in the night I heard a sound

晚上，我听见外面

outside the door, the canvas

有一种声音，帆布

bulged slightly ---something

轻微鼓起——某种东西的

was pressing inward at eye level.

眼睛正贴在上面向里看。

I watched, trembling, sure I had heard

我盯着它，浑身发抖，我的确听见了

the click of claws, the smack of lips

爪子的摩擦声，嘴唇的啪嗒声

outside my gauzy house ---

在我单薄的房子外——

I imagined the red eyes,

我想象它有红色的眼睛，

the broad tongue, the enormous lap.

宽大的舌头，粗壮的腿。

Would it be friendly too?

它是友好的吗？

Fear defeated me. And yet,

恐惧战胜了我。然而，

not in faith and not in madness

不是出于信念和疯狂

but with the courage I thought

只是认为

my dream deserved,

我的梦应该有勇气，

I stepped outside. It was gone.

我走了出去。它消失了。

Then I whirled at the sound of some

然后我恍然听见了沉重的

shambling tonnage.

脚步声。

Did I see a black haunch slipping

我是否真的看见了一个黑色的尾巴闪到了

back through the trees? Did I see

树后？看见

the moonlight shining on it?

月光照耀着它？

Did I actually reach out my arms

我是否真的朝它伸出了

toward it, toward paradise falling, like

胳膊，朝着降落的天堂，像

the fading of the dearest, wildest hope ---

爱人的消逝，最狂野的希望——

the dark heart of the story that is all

这个故事黑暗的中心，是它被讲出的

the reason for its telling?

全部原因吗？