我們在跳舞——想必是

We were dancing—it must have

一種狐步或華爾茲，

been a foxtrot or a waltz,

浪漫但

something romantic but

需要克制，

requiring restraint,

舞步起伏，我們

rise and fall, precise

動作精確

execution as we moved

進入下一支曲子

into the next song without

沒有停頓，兩個胸膛呼應著

stopping, two chests heaving

腳下每一步

above a seven-league

如七里格漫長——恰如其分的痛苦

stride—such perfect agony

舞者必須微笑堅持，

one learns to smile through,

狂熱的複制

ecstatic mimicry

是美式流暢舞的

being the

秘訣。

sine qua non

我集中精神

of American Smooth.

儘量

And because I was distracted

不犯規

by the effort of

（重心向左，轉頭

keeping my frame

讓目光恰好擦過

(the leftward lean, head turned

你的耳畔並保持

just enough to gaze out

微笑，微笑），

past your ear and always

因而沒有察覺

smiling, smiling),

你的身體愈發靜止

I didn’t notice

直到我們完成

how still you’d become until

（兩小節？

we had done it

還是四小節？）——一次完美的飛行，

(for two measures?

靈巧而平靜的

four?)—achieved flight,

莊嚴，

that swift and serene

直到大地

magnificence,

想起我們

before the earth

把我們輕輕接住。

remembered who we were

and brought us down.