Midnight,

深夜，到京密引水渠游泳，

swimming in the Jing-Mi canal,

只有這時可以不穿游泳褲，

the only time you don’t need trunks.

無比舒服！輕輕劃水靜靜地想。

Incomparable! Paddling in silent thought,

累了，躺在水裏，抬頭望夜空，

or tired, floating on my back.

一顆顆星星，明亮。感歎自己不懂

Night sky, bright stars.

星象學，惟一認識的只是北斗七星

The only thing I know about astronomy

——一把大勺掛在虛無之中央。

is the Big Dipper

胡亂猜測人馬是哪一個，天秤又是哪一個。

in the void, scooping emptiness.

覺得一片像柔美天鵝，另一片像雄壯獅子。

I make wild guesses

突然感到水中有什麼東西在腿上輕碰，

which is Sagittarius,

低下頭，透過水看見好像是魚。

which Libra,

這是多麼愜意的事情！

there the graceful swan,

水與天空彷彿屬於我一人——幾句詩

the mighty lion.

就此跳出來——深夜，赤裸身體游泳，

Something lightly taps my leg—

我希望游得靈魂像星光出竅，

I put my head in the water, looking for a fish.

在水是天鵝，在天是人面獅。

How marvelous

to be emperor

of water and sky!

At once some lines leap out—

deep night, nude swim,

if only the soul could slip free

like starlight,

swan on the water,

sphinx in the sky.