这个词我们用来填补

This is a word we use to plug

漏洞。很适合作为演说里

holes with. It's the right size for those warm

温暖的串联，可填写在卡片上

blanks in speech, for those red heart-

红色心形的空位，虽然看起来

shaped vacancies on the page that look nothing

一点也不像真的心。加上丝带

like real hearts. Add lace

你还可以出售它。

and you can sell

我们还可以将它插入

it. We insert it also in the one empty

打印好的表格空白处。

space on the printed form

即便没有填表说明。好多

that comes with no instructions. There are whole

杂志没什么内容

magazines with not much in them

除了爱这个词。你可以

but the word love, you can

用它来搓身，也可以

rub it all over your body and you

用来炒菜。我们怎知

can cook with it too. How do we know

潮湿的纸板下

it isn't what goes on at the cool

鼻涕虫们的欢乐纵欲

debaucheries of slugs under damp

不是爱？至于草苗，

pieces of cardboard? As for the weed-

它们喊着爱，坚韧的叶尖小心地

seedlings nosing their tough snouts up

从一堆生菜堆之间拱出。

among the lettuces, they shout it.

爱！爱！战士高唱，举起

Love! Love! sing the soldiers, raising

他们闪亮的刺刀致敬。

their glittering knives in salute.

然后说说我们

Then there's the two

两个人。爱这个词

of us. This word

实在太短了，它只有

is far too short for us, it has only

四个字母，太稀疏

four letters, too sparse

我们头上的群星无法听见

to fill those deep bare

它们之间深邃的真空

vacuums between the stars

爱也不能填满。

that press on us with their deafness.

不是我们不愿意

It's not love we don't wish

坠入爱河，而是害怕。

to fall into, but that fear.

这个词是不够的，但也

this word is not enough but it will

只能接受。它是

have to do. It's a single

金属的沉默里

vowel in this metallic

一个单音字，在惊奇和痛苦中

silence, a mouth that says

不断发出啊的嘴巴,

O again and again in wonder

是一口气，是紧紧抓住

and pain, a breath, a finger

悬崖边的手指。你可以

grip on a cliffside. You can

紧抓不放，也可以松手。

hold on or let go.