Why you need to have one

你需要有秘密生活，其原因

is not much more mysterious than

并不比你看到一个刚出生的丑陋婴儿

why you don't say what you think

却不直言心中所想的道理

at the birth of an ugly baby.

更神秘莫测。

Or, you've just made love

或者，刚做完爱

and feel you'd rather have been

但你宁愿刚才是身处

in a dark booth where your partner

幽暗的小包间里，

was nodding, whispering yes, yes,

你的伴侣频频点头，轻声说好，好，

you're brilliant. The secret life

你真棒。秘密生活

begins early, is kept alive

很早就会开始，会因为你身上

by all that's unpopular

不合时宜的一切，还会因为

in you, all that you know

你明明知道某个浸会教徒或另外某个

a Baptist, say, or some other

专门记账的人会反感的一切

accountant would object to.

而生生不息。

It becomes what you'd most protect

你会千方百计地保护它，

if the government said you can protect

如果政府说你只可以保护

one thing, all else is ours.

一个东西，其余都是我们的。

When you write late at night

当你在深夜写作，

it's like a small fire

它就像空地里的

in a clearing, it's what

一小簇篝火，它

radiates and what can hurt

散发光芒，也会把你灼伤

if you get too close to it.

若是凑得太近。

It's why your silence is a kind of truth.

这就是为什么你的沉默也是一种真话。

Even when you speak to your best friend,

甚至当你跟最好的朋友交谈

the one who'll never betray you,

一个永远都不会出卖你的朋友

you always leave out one thing;

总有一件事你会避而不谈：

a secret life is that important.

私密生活就是如此重要。