Crouched by the yard fence,

牠蹲伏在院內的圍籬邊

he guards winter’s afternoon,

守著午後的冬日

sunlight on these fruit trees, fallen leaves.

陽光，果樹，和落葉

Those shadows inching earth,

日影在地上寸寸移動

the soundless footfalls mounting eaves,

無聲的步伐越過簷頂

alert his sharpened ears,

只驚動牠敏感的耳朵

erect, then drooping back to drowse.

微微豎起復又

慵懶地垂下

From a distant sky, sparrows come,

crossing the fence for his rusty food bowl,

麻雀從天邊悄悄飛來

its cold, hard rice.

越過低低的圍籬降落

Still as wood, he lets the breeze

跳進牠銹蝕的飯窩裏

arrange his soft new coat.

啄著冷硬的飯粒

兩碼的距離

The sparrows, stuffed,

牠依舊木然蟄伏

shake their wings and fly,

任微風翻弄新換的柔毛

their shadows on his nose

like a fleeting patch of cloud.

吃飽的麻雀抖翼飛起

His eyes look up, his gaze

翼影在牠的面前掠過

tethered by his neckchain.

像一片小小的烏雲擾過頭頂

只引得牠眼珠轉動

無法遠縱的目光瞬息拉回，落在

頸上的一條鐵鍊的陰影裏