I took the solitary path

我選中了一條孤零零的

trailing off into the deep cornfield.

消失在玉米地深處的小路。

I chose a house hidden in a forest

我選中一座隱藏在槐林和

of pagoda trees and wild pea,

野豌豆叢裏的房屋，那裏

where canal water slid quietly past a bend.

一彎無聲的渠水安靜穿過。

The shadows of the trees, the softfallen leaves

樹影    幽幽飄落的葉子

stirred a little on the surface

在水面上輕輕蕩了一下

then sank deep into dream.

又沉入長長的睡鄉。

What were they, I wondered.

我疑惑，它們都是什麼？

A road? A house? The light

一條路？一座房屋？還是

rippling Ophelia’s face?

映照過奧菲麗雅臉龐的波光？

I needed everything. Everything.

我要求全部。全部的。

The trail hazy with dust, the forestkeeper’s house

這飄著輕塵的小徑    久無人拜訪的

unvisited, overgrown with green moss,

看林人長滿綠苔的房屋的牆角

the ditch water silent as death—all

以及死一樣寂寞的渠水——全部的。

so clear, so endless.

如此清晰    無邊無際。

Now I sit down, facing

現在我坐下來：面對

a landscape spawning crazily—

瘋狂繁殖的景色——

golden butterflies, pagoda tree leaves

——金黃的飛蝶    幾片槐葉

in a paper Eden

在紙上的樂園中修築

building their last tranquil slumber.

它們最後的安眠——