Flying over God’s mountains, canyons, wastelands

飛越上帝的山脈、峽谷、狐狸點燈的

glimmering with foxfire, graveyards where owls vanish and appear,

廢墟、貓頭鷹出沒的墳塚，

you drop from the stars

你將降落如同一個靈魂降生，

like a soul being born,

從星辰的高度，帶著另一個世界

and still bearing the toxins

理想的毒素，你將降落到一種命運當中。

of your own world, glide down

to whatever destiny awaits.

上升的太陽甩下烏雲般破敗的屋舍，

憂患的城市黑夜過後必是一片鳥鳴。

Dawn struggles up from the torn clouds of houses,

滿樹的喜鵲，滿河的污水，

yet even a miserable village twitters at sunrise,

這是某些人的異鄉、某些人的故土。

the trees filled with magpies, the river with sewage—

你將降落，回憶起你的出發——

here’s someone’s adopted city, another’s hometown.

Thinking of landing recalls your departure,

能夠記住的東西並不一定值得記住。

正是凡俗的世界給你以教訓。

though what you remember may hardly be worth it,

但即使最嚴酷的律法也會給生存

just one more lesson from the world,

留有餘地；你會被惡狗咬上一口，

where the strictest regulations still leave space

但和舊情相比這只是區區小事。

for life—after all you’ve been through,

if you’re bitten by a cur, it’s nothing.

你必須有一個去處，有一個親人，

你必須有一個名字，好生活在風沙之中。

You’re required to confess a destination, a relative,

一個有人居住的地方：一種語言、

a name, so you can exit to the wind and sand.

一種類型的面孔。你小心避開的人群

You’re required to declare your place, its inhabitants, a language,

將會要求打開你的箱子。

show your face. You’ll try to avoid the crowds

but may have to open your suitcase.

降落。跑道清潔。而那些惦念著起飛的

鐵鳥，正在醞釀著它們的怒吼。

You touch down, a clean landing,

你鬆開安全帶，看見了大地上的

while the iron birds thinking of takeoff

第一個人：他剛剛醒來，

are brewing up their roars.

把運貨小卡車開到飛機的尾部。

You unclip your seatbelt, see the first man

on earth, just awakened,

steering the baggage cart past the tail.