A thumb’s-length landscape: Snow, on a hill

一片拇指大小的風景：雪，覆在山坡上

in China. I turn the glass ball over in my hand,

在中國。我把手裏的玻璃球倒過來，

and watch the snow

看雪

blow around the Chinese woman,

吹拂在一位中國婦人的四周，

calm at her work,

她靜靜地工作，

carrying her heavy yoke

拖著沉重的軛

uphill, towards the distant house.

上山，走向遠處的房屋。

Looking out through the thick glass ball

從厚厚的玻璃球裏向外看

she would see the lines of my hand,

她會看見我手指的線條，

unearthly winter trees, unmoving, behind the snow…

不合時宜的冬天的樹，一動不動，隔著雪……

No more elders.

不再有長者。

The Boston snow grays and softens

波士頓的雪使你曾在的街道

the streets where you were…

暗淡，柔和……

Trees older than you, alive.

比你更老的樹，還活著。

The snow is over and the sky is light.

雪停了，重現天光。

Pale, pale blue distance…

朦朧的，朦朧的藍色遠方……

Is there an east? A west? A river?

那裏是否有一個東方？一個西方？一條河？

There

在那裏，我們是否能正確地生活？

, can we live right?

我再一次朝玻璃裏看。你，

I look back in through the glass. You,

在中國，我可以與你對話。

in China, I can talk to you.

雪已落定；但是很冷

The snow has settled; but it’s cold

在那裏，你所在之地。

there, where you are.

你背負著什麼？

What are you carrying?

為了什麼緣故？穿行在如此艱難的風

For the sake of what? through such hard wind

和光之中。

and light.

                        ——你把目光投向外面的我，

                        —And you look out to me,

你說，「我們所背負的沒有區別，你的呼吸，

and you say, “Only the same as everyone; your breath,

你說的話，與我的同樣生動，

your words, move with mine,

在這玻璃之下，玻璃之外；我們這些人出生

under and over this glass; we who were born

在活著的大地上生活。」

and lived on the living earth.”