In the end it seeped in,

還是滲進來了

calm, silent water, looking harmless,

平靜無聲似乎無害的水

creeping like a snake toward your feet,

游進來蛇一樣游近你的腳邊

as unsteady light

彷彿一道不確定的光

sliding beneath a door, past a window,

從門縫窗隙

say the dim light of 5AM,

從清晨五點的薄闇

faint but unstoppable,

再怎麼封怎麼鎖都擋不住的

a tail

一尾

        a

           一

          snake’s

               尾

                      tail

                   蛇

slowly winding, insinuant curve

慢慢迤集漶散以你

so easily missed or ignored.

不易覺察或故意忽略的曲線

How a quarter hour

彷彿不到一刻鐘或竟是

stretches to a life.

整整一生

Footsoles soaked,

已經漫過你腳心你的

your heart swamped, it’s too late

心溼了大片但也來不及了

despite the hurried wind, insistent rain, you can only behold

風急雨急也只能看著

this leaching, this uncertainty

這滲透這不確定

of mute light, a tail

平靜的光這水一尾

                        a

                   一

            snake’s

              尾

        tail

        蛇

hypnotic, soothing,

無端地幾乎帶著安撫性從門

slipping in

從窗從靈魂每一毛細孔

past the door,

游    進來

past the window,

past each pore of the soul.