那生來靦腆的，往往緘口離去。

That it was shy when alive goes without saying.

它突然消失，隨著人語

We know it vanished at the sound of voices

或腳步聲，被最輕微的響動驚飛，

Or footsteps. It took wing at the slightest noises,

只允許祈禱者接近。

Though it could be approached by someone praying.

我們沒有它的錄音，當然，

We have no recordings of it, though of course

在博物館地下室裏，我們有填塞的

In the basement of the Museum, we have some stuffed

被蛾子蛀蝕的標本——小型領頜，

Moth-eaten specimens—the Lesser Ruffed

黃斑雀——歸檔於狹窄的抽屜。

And Yellow Spotted—filed in narrow drawers.

但它的歌聲已遺失。它是否曾屬於

But its song is lost. If it was related to

一個叫「沉默」的物種，或其他羽類，

A species of Quiet, or of another feather,

研究員不得而知。說不定

No researcher can know. Not even whether

尚有一對在沼澤深處築巢，

A breeding pair still nests deep in the bayou,

傳說它原是一種平常的鳥

Where legend has it some once common bird

幾十年前才絕跡，絕音。

Decades ago was first not seen, not heard.