一片拇指大小的風景：雪，覆在山坡上

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

在中國。我把手裏的玻璃球倒過來，

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

看雪

and watch the snow

吹拂在一位中國婦人的四周，

blow around the Chinese woman,

她靜靜地工作，

calm at her work,

拖著沉重的軛

carrying her heavy yoke

上山，走向遠處的房屋。

uphill, towards the distant house.

從厚厚的玻璃球裏向外看

Looking out through the thick glass ball

她會看見我手指的線條，

she would see the lines of my hand,

不合時宜的冬天的樹，一動不動，隔著雪……

unearthly winter trees, unmoving, behind the snow…

不再有長者。

No more elders.

波士頓的雪使你曾在的街道

The Boston snow grays and softens

暗淡，柔和……

the streets where you were…

比你更老的樹，還活著。

Trees older than you, alive.

雪停了，重現天光。

The snow is over and the sky is light.

朦朧的，朦朧的藍色遠方……

Pale, pale blue distance…

那裏是否有一個東方？一個西方？一條河？

Is there an east? A west? A river?

在那裏，我們是否能正確地生活？

There

, can we live right?

我再一次朝玻璃裏看。你，

在中國，我可以與你對話。

I look back in through the glass. You,

雪已落定；但是很冷

in China, I can talk to you.

在那裏，你所在之地。

The snow has settled; but it’s cold

there, where you are.

你背負著什麼？

為了什麼緣故？穿行在如此艱難的風

What are you carrying?

和光之中。

For the sake of what? through such hard wind

                        ——你把目光投向外面的我，

and light.

你說，「我們所背負的沒有區別，你的呼吸，

                        —And you look out to me,

你說的話，與我的同樣生動，

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

在這玻璃之下，玻璃之外；我們這些人出生

your words, move with mine,

在活著的大地上生活。」

under and over this glass; we who were born

and lived on the living earth.”