How to explain my heroic courtesy? I feel

如何解释我英雄式的谦卑？我觉得

that my body was inflated by a mischievous boy.

我的身体肿得就像被一个淘气的男孩吹胀。

Once I was the size of a falcon, the size of a lion,

我曾经像猎鹰一样大，像狮子一样大，

once I was not the elephant I find I am.

我曾经不是现在自己看到的这头大象。

My pelt sags, and my master scolds me for a botched

我的毛皮耷拉着，我的主人因为一个搞砸的小把戏

trick. I practiced it all night in my tent, so I was

责骂我。我曾经在帐篷里练习了一晚上，现在

somewhat sleepy. People connect me with sadness

我已经昏昏欲睡。人们看到我总是想起“悲伤”，

and, often, rationality. Randall Jarrell compared me

还时常觉得我“理性”。兰德尔·贾雷尔

to Wallace Stevens, the American poet. I can see it

把我比作华莱士·史蒂文斯，那个美国诗人。看看

in the lumbering tercets, but in my mind

我那笨拙的三拍节奏，他说得或许在理；但我觉得

I am more like Eliot, a man of Europe, a man

我更像艾略特，一个欧洲人，一个

of cultivation. Anyone so ceremonious suffers

受过文明教化的人。任何这么讲究斯文的人

breakdowns. I do not like the spectacular experiments

都会时时崩溃。我不喜欢铺张的

with balance, the high-wire act and cones.

平衡实验，不喜欢高空走钢丝和冰激淋圆筒。

We elephants are images of humility, as when we

我们大象是谦卑的象征，尤其

undertake our melancholy migrations to die.

当我们踏上前往自己坟场的悲怆征途。

Did you know, though, that elephants were taught

但你知道吗，活着的大象会被教授

to write the Greek alphabet with their hooves?

用蹄子写出希腊字母表？

Worn out by suffering, we lie on our great backs,

被痛苦折磨得筋疲力尽，我们躺在自己巨大的背上，

tossing grass up to heaven—as a distraction, not a prayer.

把草抛向天堂——只是为了分散注意力，并不是一种祈祷。

That’s not humility you see on our long final journeys:

所以我们前往坟场的过程中并未表现谦卑：

it’s procrastination. It hurts my heavy body to lie down.

它只是一种拖延。如此沉重的身躯躺在地上，实在太痛。