In the Romanesque church round stones

使如此多祈禱者和世代耗盡體力的

that ground down so many prayers and generations

羅馬式教堂裏的圓形石頭

kept humble silence and shadows slept in the apse

繼續讓謙卑的寂靜和陰影沉睡在半圓形小室裏

like bats in winter furs.

如同冬天裏裹著裘皮的蝙蝠。

We went out. The pale sun shone,

我們走出來。蒼白的太陽照耀，

tinny music tinkled softly

微小的音樂輕柔地

from a car, two jays

從一輛汽車裏丁丁傳來，兩隻松鴉

studied us, humans,

研究我們──人類，

threads of longing dangled in the air.

渴望的絲線在空氣中晃蕩。

The present moment is shameless,

當下這個時刻不知羞恥，

taking its foolish liberties

在這座疲憊而古老的

beside the wall

聖所墻邊

of this tired old shrine,

愚蠢地冒險，

awaiting the millions of years to come,

等待幾百萬年抵達，

future wars, geological eras,

還有未來戰爭、地理年代、

cease-fires, treaties, changes in climate—

停火、條約、氣候變化──

this moment—what is it—just

這個時刻──它是什麽──只是

a mosquito, a fly, a speck, a scrap of breath,

一隻蚊子，一隻蒼蠅，一個斑點，一縷呼吸，

and yet it’s taken over everywhere,

然而它到處接管，

entering the timid grass,

進入膽怯的青草，

inhabiting stems and genes,

占據葉莖和基因，

the pupils of our eyes.

我們眼睛裏的瞳孔。

This moment, mortal as you or I.

這個如同你我一樣會死的時刻

was full of boundless, senseless,

充滿無邊、無意義、

silly joy, as if it knew

傻乎乎的歡樂，彷彿它知道些

something we didn’t.

我們不知道的事情。