You whack me on the head with a washing stick—

你拿著棒槌敲我腦殼。

stars flood my giddy skull.

昏眩中我看見火花落在體內。

You’ve said I’m like a monkey,

我記得你曾說我像猴子，

greedy, lazy, earning others’ tears by writing poems.

貪食、懶惰，寫詩賺取別人眼淚。

No longer! Reality taught me to despise reality.

現在不啦！我已從現實學會蔑視現實。

Or should I tell you

或許，我應該告訴你，

I’ve slid backwards, gotten worse.

我如今是在後退：倒著走。

If you see my house, you’ll understand,

如果你看到我的家就能明白；

far from the city, contented with my yard,

遠離城市，滿足有院子，

I can stay three days indoors,

可以關起門來三天不出門。

sit at the window, still as a millstone.

我坐在窗前，實際上就像石碾。

I think you should sit on a cloud

我希望你能在雲端坐著。

till the moon in the yard

直到月亮從院中椿樹梢升起，

clears the limbs of the juniper,

我看見你就是月亮。

till I can be sure

直到我能夠確定你就掛在我的身體裏。

the moon suspended in my body

is you.