I’d see it coming up

童年時常見你，在籬下路邊

beside a road, a fence,

成長，綻開叢叢小小的花朵

its spray of fleurets

紅的，黃的和紫的，親密地聚集

in intimate assembly:

美麗和謙卑，我們都慢慢學曉了

red, purple, yellow,

不忘恭敬地採下，串成花環

pretty and humble. We learned

掛在夥伴的頸項，然後看你

to pluck them with respect,

笑開了村裏每一個路口

string a garland round a friend’s neck,

each village crossroads an abundance.

有時我們忘卻了，粗暴地

摘你一把猶青的果實

Sometimes we’d tear handfuls

向壁壘外的小孩還擊

of the fruit, still green,

有時我們摘不到

to wing at other kids

高墻後的葡萄

behind their ramparts.

就胡亂摘你一片葉

If grapes beyond a wall

放在拳洞上打破

were too far to grasp,

你的傷口裏，有時

we’d snatch a lantana leaf

會伸出一顆青刺

and mash it on a fist.

但隨即掩來片片沉厚的綠色

Green thorns lurked

面對外來的暴行，你只不過

amid the foliage.

微微透露一種不快的氣味

In the face of all this wrath

然後是一片更寬廣的容色

it gave off an unpleasant scent,

並存的花果，日月和風雨

its long vines extending

to its blossoms, to the sun,

注：馬纓丹，又名如意草，是香港鄉村常見的灌木。花果成叢簇生，全年開花結果；樹身有刺，樹葉破爛時會發出使人不快的氣味。

the moon, the rain, the wind.