A billion tons of coal

億萬噸煤燃燒

burned for books, statistics,

製成書籍，數據，

and for Clio, unsmiling queen of papyrus.

為了克利俄，那面無微笑的紙莎草女王。

In a century or two

再過兩個世紀，

we’ll cram the galaxy

銀河系將塞滿

with blind idols, invisible drumbeats.

盲崇的偶像和隱匿的鼓點。

Someday time may be more

也許有一天，時間不再是

than hypotheses, its sense recast,

假設，它的定義將重新書寫，

the dust of lost theorems

遺失的定理抖掉灰塵，

brushed off, consigning half of history

把半部人類史交予史前。

to the prehistoric. Someone

自然重新創造

will refashion nature as strange fauna

一本奇異的動物志：

of magnetic beasts, phosphoric livestock;

帶磁力的野獸，發磷光的家畜；

a new Zodiac

全新的黃道帶

with antennas, huge bells, winged starships

長著觸須，系上大鈴鐺，星際飛船扇動翅膀，

predicting the end of the end; or simply

預言著盡頭的盡頭；或發明一個

contrive a formula to remember

記憶和遺忘的公式，使流動之物凍結，

and forget, freezing any drift,

四維空間在即。

the fourth dimension now in sight.

對我來說海岸線已足夠，

For me this shoreline is enough,

雲遮住半邊月，

how that cloud bisects the moon,

它的裙擺拖曳在水波之上。

its skirt trailing through waves.

今夜，天穹綴滿

Tonight the sky’s a cupola

銀子般的字符，

strewn with figured silver,

石弩把星光射向天際。

the far-flung catapult of stars.