我将独自悲伤，

I will grieve alone,

一如我多年前

As I strolled alone, years ago, down along

在俄亥俄沿着河岸游荡时那样。

The Ohio shore.

我躲在一群流浪汉当中，

I hid in the hobo jungle weeds

沿着臭水沟逆流而上，

Upstream from the sewer main,

沉思着，凝视着。

Pondering, gazing.

我看见，河的下游，

I saw, down river,

第二十三街和水街的

At Twenty-third and Water Streets

醋厂附近，

By the vinegar works,

那些门在黄昏里洞开着。

The doors open in early evening.

女人们摇着她们的钱包，

Swinging their purses, the women

使整条长长的街都流向那条河，

Poured down the long street to the river

一直流入河中。

And into the river.

我不明白为什么是她们

I do not know how it was

能将每个夜晚都溺入水中。

They could drown every evening.

她们都在破晓前的什么时间里爬上对岸，

What time near dawn did they climb up the other shore,

弄干她们的翅膀？

Drying their wings?

西弗吉尼亚州的威灵的这条河

For the river at Wheeling, West Virginia,

只有两个河岸：

Has only two shores:

一边在地狱里，另一边

The one in hell, the other

在俄亥俄的布里奇波特。

In Bridgeport, Ohio.

没有人会只为了越过死亡

And nobody would commit suicide, only

寻找俄亥俄的布里奇波特

To find beyond death

而自杀。

Bridgeport, Ohio.