September rain falls on the house.
九月的雨落在屋子上。
In the failing light, the old grandmother
在渐暗的光线下，老祖母
sits in the kitchen with the child
和孩子一起坐在厨房里
beside the Little Marvel Stove,
小小的大理石壁炉边，
reading the jokes from the almanac,
读着黄历上的笑话，
laughing and talking to hide her tears.
用谈笑掩饰自己的眼泪。
She thinks that her equinoctial tears
她想着自己秋分时的眼泪
and the rain that beats on the roof of the house
还有敲打着屋顶的雨
were both foretold by the almanac,
全都写在黄历上，
but only known to a grandmother.
但只有祖母才能知晓。
The iron kettle sings on the stove.
铁壶在炉台上唱歌。
She cuts some bread and says to the child,
她一边切面包一边和孩子说话。
It's time for tea now; but the child
喝茶的时间到了；但是孩子
is watching the teakettle's small hard tears
正看着茶壶小小的坚硬的眼泪
dance like mad on the hot black stove,
发疯般在滚烫的黑色炉台上跳舞，
the way the rain must dance on the house.
应当和雨水在屋顶上的舞姿相同。
Tidying up, the old grandmother
收拾利落，老祖母
hangs up the clever almanac
挂起了聪明的黄历。
on its string. Birdlike, the almanac
挂在它的系带上，黄历就像一只鸟
hovers half open above the child,
半张着翅膀盘旋在孩子和
hovers above the old grandmother
老祖母的头顶
and her teacup full of dark brown tears.
她的茶杯里装满了黑褐色的眼泪。
She shivers and says she thinks the house
她颤抖着说她觉得这屋子
feels chilly, and puts more wood in the stove.
很冷，往炉子里填进更多的木柴。
It was to be, says the Marvel Stove.
它理应如此，大理石壁炉说。
I know what I know, says the almanac.
我知道我所知道的，黄历说。
With crayons the child draws a rigid house
孩子用蜡笔画出一座僵直的屋子
and a winding pathway. Then the child
一条蜿蜒的小路。然后孩子
puts in a man with buttons like tears
把一个纽扣就像眼泪一样的男人放进屋子
and shows it proudly to the grandmother.
骄傲地把它拿给祖母看。
But secretly, while the grandmother
但是在暗中，当祖母
busies herself about the stove,
在壁炉边忙活的时候，
the little moons fall down like tears
小小的月亮就像眼泪一样坠落
from between the pages of the almanac
从黄历书页的间隙中
into the flower bed the child
落在孩子
has carefully placed in the front of the house.
小心布置在房间前面的花床上。
Time to plant tears, says the almanac.
是时候栽种眼泪了，黄历说。
The grandmother sings to the marvelous stove
祖母对着神奇的壁炉唱歌
and the child draws another inscrutable house.
而孩子开始画另一座难以言说的屋子。