它在鐵路新村後面的竹林中，

Past the bamboo grove behind New Railway Village

我和同伴經常翻柵欄進去，

my pals and I used to jump the fence

那裏，一頭公牛與成群母牛隔開。

that kept the bull from the cows.

我們喜歡圍著工人看他擠奶，

We’d bunch around the dairyman

聽奶水射入桶中發出的哧哧聲。

and hear the milk chirr into the pail.

有一次，我和同伴站在柵欄外

Once, outside the wire,

用彈弓打那隻公牛，牠

we stung the bull with slingshots—

發出痛苦吼叫，驚動了飼養員，

when it bellowed, the dairyman

他衝出想抓我們，而我們

chased us off, but we watched

鑽進竹林跑掉。就是在那裏，

from the bamboo while a calf,

我目睹了生殖和死亡的過程——

steaming hot, slipped free of its mother’s body

牛犢熱漉漉的從母牛體內落下

and stood up. We saw

很快便站立，看得我目瞪口呆。

it was a male, and males

更讓我目瞪口呆的是生下公牛，

were killed at birth. When the bright blade

飼養員會把牠們殺死，當

slid into its throat and out,

尖利的刀刺入牛犢體內又拔出，

blood gushed,

噴湧的血像地毯，鋪滿一地。

covering the earth like a carpet.