在道路

Where the path closed

被堵塞了的地方，

down and over,

我踏过暗淡的叶子，

through the scumbled leaves,

坠落的枝条，

fallen branches,

以及盘根错节的猫藤，

through the knotted catbrier,

继续向前。最后

I kept going. Finally

我的胳膊

I could not

被荆棘

save my arms

划伤，很快

from thorns; soon

蚊子们

the mosquitoes

围着我，闷热

smelled me, hot

伤痛，我感到

and wounded, and came

天旋地转，

wheeling and whining.

这是我

And that"s how I came

到达池塘的经过：

to the edge of the pond:

黑暗而空虚

black and empty

惟有一管被水泡白的

except for a spindle

芦苇

of bleached reeds

躺在远处的岸边

at the far shore

当我正看着那里时，

which, as I looked,

水面突然荡起波纹

wrinkled suddenly

三只白鹭——

into three egrets - - -

一束

a shower

白色的火焰！

of white fire!

即使半睡半醒，它们

Even half-asleep they had

对这个造就了它们的世界

such faith in the world

也如此信任——

that had made them - - -

倾斜着飞过水面，

tilting through the water,

安静，确定，

unruffled, sure,

借助它们的信仰法则

by the laws

而不是逻辑，

of their faith not logic,

它们温柔地张开

they opened their wings

翅膀，滑过

softly and stepped

每一件黑暗的事物。

over every dark thing.