你把說話寫在紙上送給我

I have your words, that you put down on paper,

我沒有甚麼可送，寫下：

but nothing at hand to return, so I write down

「木瓜！」切開來，那麼多

papaya

點點黑色的不確定的東西

. I cut one open: so many

你說過喜歡吃，但我不知道

dark points, so many undefined things.

話說出以後有沒有改變了主意

You said you love papaya, but how do I know

我每次買了木瓜放在冰箱裏

you haven’t changed since you said it?

總碰上你不在，是言語的問題

Every time I bring one home to the refrigerator

還是木瓜的問題？我祗能從

you are not around. Is language the problem

眼見的青黃色的瓜皮上去挑選

or papaya? I can only choose

我祗能在那個青黃色的層次上

among the greenish-yellow skins;

回答，並不知道你裏面還有甚麼

I have to respond to that greenish-yellow skin

裏面是什麽？認定是甜甜的瓜肉

before knowing what you expect inside.

依普通常識都知道了，剖開來

Can’t we trust inside is sweet melon flesh?

卻總出現了纍纍的種籽，你不

It’s only common sense. Then we cut it

喜歡，你說最好甚麼也沒有

and see only seeds that you hate.

不要牽連了甚麼，黏著了揮不去

You say it’s better to find nothing,

有時又捉摸不住不知滑往何方

better to avoid complications you can’t get rid of.

不要有那麼多糾纏，不要說

They are hard to get hold of, slippery. They shoot everywhere.

那麼多話，我們吃無言的木瓜

Better not to get entangled. Better just don’t say

好，好！但總有甚麼在嘴裏

so many words. Let’s have our papaya without words.

咀嚼，吐出一個詞：木瓜

Sure, but there’s still this stuff in the mouth

你抗議了，說我說了太多話

that we chew and spit out: papaya.

表皮斑駁，瓤里充滿象徵

Immediately you protest that one word too many;

不，真的，我祗是想與你

its skin is motley and its pulp thick with suggestions.

好好的吃個木瓜，但你我過去

Forget it, then; I only want to make time,

吃過的木瓜在眼前這個木瓜裏

to dine on papaya with you. I can’t help it,

剖開來又看見了許多新的種籽

all the past papayas we’ve had are, of course, in this one too.

Slice it and here we are again, in a world of fresh seeds.