九點上班時

Nine AM. At the office.

我准備好咖啡和筆墨

Coffee. Pen and ink.

再探頭看看遠處打來

Check the weather outside.

第幾個風球

My sub and I, useful or not,

有用或無用時

must be on watch, its lead gray hull

我的潛水艇都在值班

afloat in the still harbor. At first

鉛灰的身體

躲在風平的淺水塘

I wanted to say

now that war’s less likely

開頭我想這樣寫：

and curses grown mild,

如今戰爭已不太來到

but when I listen close

如今詛咒 也換了方式

I hear the clink of silver.

當我監聽 能聽見

碎銀子嘩嘩流動的聲音

I crave scarlet seafood,

how in hard times its redness glows.

鮮紅的海鮮 仍使我傾心

Hands that master information

艱難世事中 它愈發通紅

busily stuff our maws.

我們吃它 掌握信息的手在穿梭

When I started writing this, I saw

當我開始寫 我看見

lovely fish besieging the shipyard,

可愛的魚 包圍了造船廠

the jumbled ledgers of state-owned firms,

國有企業的爛帳 以及

the flat economies of neighboring states,

鄰國經濟的蕭瑟 還有

hookers’ painted faces.

小姐們趨時的妝容

Fake receipts

這些不穩定的收據 包圍了

circle the shallows.

我的淺水塘

So I write instead

於是我這樣寫道：

better go check the sub

還是看看

before it enters deep water, and wonder

我的潛水艇 最新在何處下水

whose bloodvessel will shelter it.

在誰的血管裏泊靠

Pop star fans, hippies, disco heavy metal,

追星族，酷族，迪廳的重金屬

periscopes that filter words.

分析了寫作的潛望鏡

Alcohol, nutrition, high calories—

酒精，營養，高熱量

prepositions, pronouns, interjections

好像介詞，代詞，感歎詞

fix the texture of my skin.

鎖住我的皮膚成分

The sub must plunge

潛水艇 它要一直潛到海底

beyond control

緊急 但又無用地下潛

to the bottom of the sea.

再沒有一個口令可以支使它

I said once already:

從前我寫過 現在還這樣寫：

you build your own submarine,

都如此不適宜了

war’s monument,

你還在造你的潛水艇

a tomb that will slumber

它是戰爭的紀念碑

forever at the bottom of the sea

它是戰爭的墳墓 它將長眠海底

in service to solitary and remote moods.

但它又是離我們越來越遠的

適宜幽閉的心境

As you see, assembly’s finished.

But where’s the water,

正如你所看到的：

and which shore does it lap?

現在 我已造好潛水艇

Now to build my own ocean

可是 水在哪兒

from each thing’s

水在世界上拍打

impeccable sadness.

現在 我必須造水

為每一件事物的悲傷

製造它不可多得的完美