Knife-edge

刀刃上的

days and shimmering nights.

白日，閃爍不定的夜。

Our child watches the shifting sunlight and leaves.

小孩子望著日光在綠葉間遊移。

The world shimmers, shimmers.

全世界朦朧地跳動。

Smoke goes up the flue,

煙從煙囪口飄出，

and spins, unravels in the wind.

兜轉著，在風中拆解。

Something in me unravels after long thought.

我體內也有什麽也在拆解，經過一場漫長的沉思。

And my mind flares:

我的意識突然亮了：

as if the sun and moon lock in an eclipse,

像被困在一次日蝕裏的太陽和月亮，

and the sun’s corona flares out.

驟然燒起一圈光暈。

It is a fire

一場汽油和布條

out of gasoline and rags

引發的火

that makes us take nothing for granted.

讓我們不再聽憑理所當然。

And it is love, spontaneous,

正是那沒有預告的

flaring,

自燃的愛

that makes us feel

喚醒我們的感受

like a cougar approaching a doe in labor,

如同美洲豹走近一隻正在分娩的母鹿，

makes us pause and move on.

決定要駐足或是離開。