Footbound beneath the owl kings,

裹著腳，在貓頭鷹王之下，

princes of darkness and striding priests

黑暗公主與闊步的祭司

who go before us, leading

先於我們，帶領

the dead in their hempen shrouds,

身穿麻布壽衣的死者，

we learned what our crowned,

我們學會了王位上

uneasy fathers learned:

不安父輩們的經驗：

That to be strong you must crush

要強大就必須粉碎

the darkness underfoot,

你腳下的黑暗，

break the back of your enemy

摧斷你敵人的脊背

and snarl,

咆哮著

raising a fist to the light:

朝光舉起拳頭：

That a stone axe under glass

隔著玻璃，那把石斧

holds its edge, its weight and purpose:

保持了它的尖利、重量和用途：

That a small green scarab,

一隻綠色小蜣螂，

placed in the grave,

安放在墓穴裏，

was a better guide in life after death

指導陰間的生活

than the code of the gospels.

好過福音書上的法則。

As it was in the Prophet’s thronged

彷彿先知口中眾生雲集的

and holy city, sun-pillar

聖城，那裏將備有太陽柱

and moon-arch will be provided,

和月亮門，

straw for the ox

將為牛准備稻草

and a tree for the serpent.

為蛇准備樹。

And a place at night for the lovers,

情侶們將有過夜的場所，

tumbled and ruddy with dust,

在塵土中打滾，渾身紅褐，

but who smile and hold each other,

但微笑著彼此擁抱，

who keep intact

從持久的熱情裏

their lesson in abiding passion.

提取純潔的經驗。

From all our heaped arrangements

這一切堆迭的布置

to comfort the dead

我們用來安慰死者

we have learned this much:

並至少從中學會：

That the least of these fired images,

這些不起眼的燒製的形象，

these flawed souvenirs—items

殘缺的紀念品——物件

of rescue, of luck,

象征救贖，吉祥，

obedience and grace—outlast us.

順從和體面——比我們更長命。

That a single gray elephant,

一頭灰象

the size of your thumb,

只有你拇指那麼大，

holds up the earth

托舉起整個大地

with its forests and acres of stones.

連同地上的森林和無數石頭。