……午夜。一行字呼嘯著

Midnight. A string of words roars

衝出黑暗的隧道。幽藍的信號燈

streaking from the dark tunnel, dim blue signal light

閃過。一列拖著臍帶的火車

flashing by. A train drags its umbilicus

穿越橋梁，枕木下

through the trestle, my hollow chest

我凹陷的前胸不斷震顫。它緊抵

still trembling beneath the sleepers, pressed tight

俯身降落的天空，碾平，伸展

to the arc of sky, crushed, flattened out.

——你知道，我

You know, I

總是這樣，搖晃著

am always this way, wobbling

在深夜起身，喝口水

up at midnight, sipping water,

坐下。信。電話線中嗡嗡的雪原。躺在

sitting. Letters. In the phone a droning snowfield.

鍵盤上被自己的雙手運走。翻山越嶺

Spread across the keyboard, shipped off by my own hands. Crossing mountains,

從水杉的尖頂上沉沉掃過，枝條

the tips of redwoods scuffing my thirsty face,

劃破饑渴的臉。或者，貼著地面

their boughs rasping. Or on the ground

冰碴掛上眉毛，你知道，有時

shattered ice in my eyebrows. You know, sometimes

我走在緯四路的楝樹下，提著青菜

I walk beneath the cape lilac on Weisi road, carrying green vegetables.

推門，彷彿看到你的背影，孩子們快樂尖叫

I shove open the door, imagining your shadow. The children squeal with joy

衝過來抱著我的腿。雨從玻璃上滴落。

and rush my legs. Rain slips down the windowglass.

屋子晃動起來，輪子無聲地滑行

The house starts to shake, the glide of silent wheels

拖著傍晚的炊煙。那時，市聲壓低了

towing night’s chimneysmoke. Sounds of the city hush.

樓下的釘鞋匠，取出含在嘴裏的釘子

Downstairs the cobbler plucks a nail from his mouth,

掄起鐵錘，狠狠地楔進生活的鞋底，毫不

swings the hammer, drives hard through life’s sole, no

猶豫。這些拾荒的人

hesitation. These junkmen

拉著破爛的架子車，藏起撿到的分幣

haul cartloads of scrap, pocketing small coins,

粗大的骨節從未被摧毀。你知道，端午時節

their joints strong. You know, that festival

蒿草濃烈的香氣中，我們停靠的地方

of fragrant weeds, where we anchored,

布穀鳥從深夜一直叫到天亮，在遠處的林子裏

till dawn the cuckoos calling from distant woods,

躲在樹蔭下面。你睫毛長長的眼睛

from shadowed trees. Your long lashed eyes

閉著。手邊是放涼的水杯和灰燼的餘煙。站在窗前，

shutting. At my hand, a glass of cool water,

我想：我愛這個世界。在那

the wisps of dying coals. Standing by the window

裂開的縫隙裏，我有過機會。

I think: I love this world. Once,

它緩緩駛來，拐了彎……

in the cleft of a moment, I had a chance.

我總是這樣。盯著熒屏，長久地

It steered slowly close, then turned the corner.

一行字跳出黑暗。黝黝的田野。礦燈飛快地向後

I’m always this way. Staring forever at the screen,

丘陵。水塘。夜晚從我的四肢碾過。

a string of words leaping from darkness. A dusky field.

淒涼。單調。永不絕望

A miner’s lamp racing backward.

你知道，此時我低垂的額頭亮起

Hills. Ponds. Night grinds my limbs.

一顆星：端著米缽。搖動鐵輪的手臂

Misery. Monotony. Never despair.

被活塞催起——火苗竄上來。一扇窗口

You know, at this moment one star illuminates

飄著晾曬的嬰兒尿布，慢慢升高了……

my bowed head: lifting the alms-bowl for rice.

An iron arm drives the iron wheel driven by a piston

—a tongue of flame shoots up. Past the window

a hung diaper, slowly rising.