裹著腳，在貓頭鷹王之下，

Footbound beneath the owl kings,

黑暗公主與闊步的祭司

princes of darkness and striding priests

先於我們，帶領

who go before us, leading

身穿麻布壽衣的死者，

the dead in their hempen shrouds,

我們學會了王位上

we learned what our crowned,

不安父輩們的經驗：

uneasy fathers learned:

要強大就必須粉碎

That to be strong you must crush

你腳下的黑暗，

the darkness underfoot,

摧斷你敵人的脊背

break the back of your enemy

咆哮著

and snarl,

朝光舉起拳頭：

raising a fist to the light:

隔著玻璃，那把石斧

That a stone axe under glass

保持了它的尖利、重量和用途：

holds its edge, its weight and purpose:

一隻綠色小蜣螂，

That a small green scarab,

安放在墓穴裏，

placed in the grave,

指導陰間的生活

was a better guide in life after death

好過福音書上的法則。

than the code of the gospels.

彷彿先知口中眾生雲集的

As it was in the Prophet’s thronged

聖城，那裏將備有太陽柱

and holy city, sun-pillar

和月亮門，

and moon-arch will be provided,

將為牛准備稻草

straw for the ox

為蛇准備樹。

and a tree for the serpent.

情侶們將有過夜的場所，

And a place at night for the lovers,

在塵土中打滾，渾身紅褐，

tumbled and ruddy with dust,

但微笑著彼此擁抱，

but who smile and hold each other,

從持久的熱情裏

who keep intact

提取純潔的經驗。

their lesson in abiding passion.

這一切堆迭的布置

From all our heaped arrangements

我們用來安慰死者

to comfort the dead

並至少從中學會：

we have learned this much:

這些不起眼的燒製的形象，

That the least of these fired images,

殘缺的紀念品——物件

these flawed souvenirs—items

象征救贖，吉祥，

of rescue, of luck,

順從和體面——比我們更長命。

obedience and grace—outlast us.

一頭灰象

That a single gray elephant,

只有你拇指那麼大，

the size of your thumb,

托舉起整個大地

holds up the earth

連同地上的森林和無數石頭。

with its forests and acres of stones.