Put your ear against the wall.

把耳朵這樣緊貼著圍墻

Can you catch

難道就接通了

the words of the muted?

那些失去言辭的嘴巴？

Bands of fired clay cut them off.

重重的泥層把我們截斷

What is there to hear? The other end

你聽到什麼呢？通話器的另一頭

extends by happenstance

多麼巧合啊接駁了祈年殿上

to the Temple of Good Harvest,

黃燦燦的金光，一頂大傘覆蓋了

filled with gold light, its great umbrella roofs mantling

眩目深藍的琉璃瓦

a deep blue dazzle of tiles.

所有的請願都收在傘下

In its shade, petitions are received

收進殿前山水屏風裏

before the landscape screen,

松和柏凝定，山川靜安

calm pine and cypress, still waters, mountains.

輕柔的聲音貼附著圍墻

繞過北面的皇穹宇

Soft voices hug the north wall

向你的耳膜折射，聽到了

rounding the Imperial Vault of Heaven,

你聽到皇帝感謝五穀豐收

curving toward your ear.

年年同樣的禱告，不斷傳來

Year after year, the emperor

三音石上掌聲激盪

gives thanks for the five crop harvest,

多麼整齊啊受圍墻反射又回集中央

his palmclaps circling

天圓地方，墻內從來是世界的核心

above the Three Echo Stone.

這美麗的木房子，四周牢靠

How fine their sound runs along the wall,

只要圍墻再加高只要

ringing, recentering.

把這裏那裏的墻洞修補

Round sky, square earth, within this wall its core.

那麼墻外，泥塊下塌的撼動

A grand wood mansion, stout sided,

塵沙翻滾由遠逼近，拉響

but only if the wall grows higher,

地下的共鳴箱，我們所有的

the gaps stay patched.

申訴聚結成為風暴

Beyond, earth trembles, clay cracks,

誰知道呢？都收進傘下

dust clouds roil from afar.

層層覆叠的琉璃瓦

Foundations shake, petitions

那一塊塊眩麗的隔聲板

whirl in a storm, all of them

received under the umbrella,

把耳朵緊貼這圍墻，緊貼些

its rows of blue glazed tiles,

難道就接通了震源

the rich hush of gilded panels.

原來來自你足下？

Put your ear against the wall. Closer.

To that quivering epicenter

just beneath your feet.