翻修後的古老教堂倒也整潔

The ancient church well-restored

我卻貪望窗外對座的殘破廟宇

but my gaze goes beyond, to the shattered temple,

陽光像一隻鴿子棲息在瓦簷上

sunlight perching like a pigeon on its eaves.

室內微風消不去初秋延留的沉溽

The breeze inside our room

cannot dispel autumn’s damp.

眾人發表對詩歌各種的看法

有些新穎、有些陳舊

About poetry, everyone has opinions,

午後的氣息懨懨

some original, some clichéd.

陽光像一隻老貓臥睡在瓦簷上

The afternoon’s weary as an old cat,

天花板垂下的風扇慢慢地旋轉

sunlight drowsy on the rooftiles. How slow

the ceiling fan rotates its blades.

會議結束後便是照團體像

我不安定的眼光望過攝影師肩膊

Afterward, the usual photos.

看見黑白近黃的教會歷史照片

Uneasy, I look past the camera

掛在新刷的白色粉牆上

at yellowed shots of missionaries,

the freshly whitewashed wall.

朋友堅持要到廣場一遊

只爲那是代表性的地區名勝兼古蹟

A friend insisted on this plaza

在只剩一面牆的古老建築面前

for all its history.

有無數鴿子自由的飛翔

From its last standing wall

我們隨手把詩集放在階梯上方

wheel twenty pigeons.

也有遊人好奇的觀望

Amid the gaping tourists

we set our books upon the steps.

頑皮的風吹起一張張的書頁

陽光趁勢把詩集瀏覽了一遍

The wind’s mischief ruffles pages

有些寫得好，有些寫得不好

for the sun to browse.

我想陽光並不會介意

Some poems written well, some poorly,

the light indifferent.