Nine AM. At the office.

九點上班時

Coffee. Pen and ink.

我准備好咖啡和筆墨

Check the weather outside.

再探頭看看遠處打來

My sub and I, useful or not,

第幾個風球

must be on watch, its lead gray hull

有用或無用時

afloat in the still harbor. At first

我的潛水艇都在值班

鉛灰的身體

I wanted to say

躲在風平的淺水塘

now that war’s less likely

and curses grown mild,

開頭我想這樣寫：

but when I listen close

如今戰爭已不太來到

I hear the clink of silver.

如今詛咒 也換了方式

當我監聽 能聽見

I crave scarlet seafood,

碎銀子嘩嘩流動的聲音

how in hard times its redness glows.

Hands that master information

鮮紅的海鮮 仍使我傾心

busily stuff our maws.

艱難世事中 它愈發通紅

When I started writing this, I saw

我們吃它 掌握信息的手在穿梭

lovely fish besieging the shipyard,

當我開始寫 我看見

可愛的魚 包圍了造船廠

the jumbled ledgers of state-owned firms,

the flat economies of neighboring states,

國有企業的爛帳 以及

hookers’ painted faces.

鄰國經濟的蕭瑟 還有

Fake receipts

小姐們趨時的妝容

circle the shallows.

這些不穩定的收據 包圍了

我的淺水塘

So I write instead

better go check the sub

於是我這樣寫道：

before it enters deep water, and wonder

還是看看

whose bloodvessel will shelter it.

我的潛水艇 最新在何處下水

Pop star fans, hippies, disco heavy metal,

在誰的血管裏泊靠

periscopes that filter words.

追星族，酷族，迪廳的重金屬

分析了寫作的潛望鏡

Alcohol, nutrition, high calories—

prepositions, pronouns, interjections

酒精，營養，高熱量

fix the texture of my skin.

好像介詞，代詞，感歎詞

The sub must plunge

鎖住我的皮膚成分

beyond control

潛水艇 它要一直潛到海底

to the bottom of the sea.

緊急 但又無用地下潛

再沒有一個口令可以支使它

I said once already:

you build your own submarine,

從前我寫過 現在還這樣寫：

war’s monument,

都如此不適宜了

a tomb that will slumber

你還在造你的潛水艇

forever at the bottom of the sea

它是戰爭的紀念碑

in service to solitary and remote moods.

它是戰爭的墳墓 它將長眠海底

但它又是離我們越來越遠的

As you see, assembly’s finished.

適宜幽閉的心境

But where’s the water,

and which shore does it lap?

正如你所看到的：

Now to build my own ocean

現在 我已造好潛水艇

from each thing’s

可是 水在哪兒

impeccable sadness.

水在世界上拍打

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