每个情人都有自己的理论，

Each lover has some theory of his own

关于和恋人相处的痛苦

About the difference between the ache

与独处的痛苦之间的区别：

Of being with his love, and being alone:

Why what, when dreaming, is dear flesh and bone

为何梦里那个撩动感官的

That really stirs the senses, when awake,

骨中之骨，肉中之肉，清醒时

Appears a simulacrum of his own.

却是他自身的幻象。

Narcissus disbelieves in the unknown;

He cannot join his image in the lake

那喀索斯拒绝相信未知；

So long as he assumes he is alone.

他无法投身于他在湖面的影子，

The child, the waterfall, the fire, the stone,

只要他认定自己在独处。

Are always up to mischief, though, and take

The universe for granted as their own.

孩子、瀑布、火焰、石头

The elderly, like Proust, are always prone

却总在添乱，并想当然地认为

To think of love as a subjective fake;

整个宇宙都是他们自己的。

The more they love, the more they feel alone.

Whatever view we hold, it must be shown

老人，比如普鲁斯特，总是倾向于

Why every lover has a wish to make

把爱当作一种主观的假象；

Some kind of otherness his own:

他们爱得越多，越是自感孤独。

Perhaps, in fact, we never are alone.

无论持何种观点，我们都必须搞清楚，

为什么每个恋爱的人都希望

把另一种他者变成自己的他者：

也许事实上，我们从未独处。

1941 年初