億萬噸煤燃燒

A billion tons of coal

製成書籍，數據，

burned for books, statistics,

為了克利俄，那面無微笑的紙莎草女王。

and for Clio, unsmiling queen of papyrus.

再過兩個世紀，

In a century or two

銀河系將塞滿

we’ll cram the galaxy

盲崇的偶像和隱匿的鼓點。

with blind idols, invisible drumbeats.

也許有一天，時間不再是

Someday time may be more

假設，它的定義將重新書寫，

than hypotheses, its sense recast,

遺失的定理抖掉灰塵，

the dust of lost theorems

把半部人類史交予史前。

brushed off, consigning half of history

自然重新創造

to the prehistoric. Someone

一本奇異的動物志：

will refashion nature as strange fauna

帶磁力的野獸，發磷光的家畜；

of magnetic beasts, phosphoric livestock;

全新的黃道帶

a new Zodiac

長著觸須，系上大鈴鐺，星際飛船扇動翅膀，

with antennas, huge bells, winged starships

預言著盡頭的盡頭；或發明一個

predicting the end of the end; or simply

記憶和遺忘的公式，使流動之物凍結，

contrive a formula to remember

四維空間在即。

and forget, freezing any drift,

the fourth dimension now in sight.

對我來說海岸線已足夠，

雲遮住半邊月，

For me this shoreline is enough,

它的裙擺拖曳在水波之上。

how that cloud bisects the moon,

今夜，天穹綴滿

its skirt trailing through waves.

銀子般的字符，

Tonight the sky’s a cupola

石弩把星光射向天際。

strewn with figured silver,

the far-flung catapult of stars.