At first, no envy,

起初我是不妒的

being neither boy nor girl

我既是男孩也是女孩

but a mandarin duck in the river,

在河中身為鴛鴦

on shore a phoenix

在陸地身為鳳凰

I dreamt I grew three heads

在夢裡以三顆頭三雙翅膀

soaring on three pairs of wings

飛翔

Hearing a baby, it seemed a fox,

聽見嬰兒的聲音那是狐

if an old man’s moan, a deer,

聽見老人的聲音那是鹿

if a curse, the bark of a raccoon dog,

聽見詈罵的聲音那是貍

a groan the complaint of a mythic monkey

聽見呻吟的聲音那是禺

Across the valley, red sand strewn like foxtail millet,

俯瞰山谷有丹沙如粟

above the peak, smoky clouds, ballads

仰望山巔雲煙似歌謠

I can’t remember,

我還不能辨識的山谷雲煙啊

coiled dragons, mountain peaks

只覺是一條條龍的身體

all in ritual worship

群山都在行拜祀之禮

Fearless at first

起初我是不懼的

I squeezed silkworms, smashed flies,

我捏過蟻蠶拍過青蠅

chased a many-banded krait, rifled a bird’s nest,

追打一條花蛇掏空一窩鳥蛋

heartless as an owl, sad as a dabbling duck,

無情如鴟哀傷如鳧

my desires mayflies, violet sea-snails

慾望似蜉蝣淺海的紫螺

beside a shallow sea,

我唱的歌無人會意

this song I sing no one understands

竟以哭字作我的歌名

so call it lamentation