Because nature doesn't specialize

因为大自然并不擅长

in mercy, this House of Refuge built behind the dunes 

怜悯，所以这座避难所建在吉尔伯特酒吧的

on Gilbert's Bar,

沙丘后面，

provisioned with fuel and blankets, cereals

提供燃料和毯子，谷物

and dried meat, for the survivors of ships wrecked

和干肉，给在近海礁石上遇难船只的

on off-shore reefs. And in its time

幸存者。在它的时代

adequate to its vision.

胜任于它的异象。

Now with others

现在和其他人一起

we parade behind the hatchery and marvel

我们在孵化场后面排队参观，惊叹

how the new-born turtles cobble the bottom of their tank,

新生的海龟是如何在水箱底部铺鹅卵石的，

wander past aquariums of native fish,

漫步经过本地鱼的水族箱，

tap our fingers against the glass, little codes

我们的手指轻扣玻璃，一些小小的密码

we want them to know us by, then tread

我们想让他们借此认识我们，然后沿着

the boardwalk down to the beach

木板路下到海滩

where survivors in another time

在那里，另一个时代的幸存者们

waded toward shore with whatever they could salvage,

带着他们能救出的任何东西涉水上岸，

mostly themselves.

大多是他们自己。

								No more shipwrecks

                            再也没有沉船

off this coast, only a few survivors of wrecked

在这个海岸外，只有几个遇难

or uncharted lives, a few tourists

或未知生活的幸存者，几个观光客

Looking for a place to beach. Across the dunes

来寻找海滩。越过沙丘

the sea oats wash back and forth in a gold froth;

海燕麦在金色的泡沫中来回摇曳；

gulls and pelicans, sandpipers and terns,

海鸥和鹈鹕，矶鹬和燕鸥，

take sanctuary in the weathered hollows of the sea wall.

避难于海堤风化的洞穴。

Here nothing is molested, all blest.

这里没有什么被骚扰，一切都被祝福。

For travelers like us, a tour of the house, a vision.

对于像我们这样的旅客来说，参观一次避难所和异象，

a momentary rest.

享受一次短暂的安息。