In your extended absence, you permit me

在你长期的缺席中，你允许我

use of earth, anticipating

使用土地，期望

some return on investment. I must report

投资得到收益。我必须汇报

failure in my assignment, principally

我执行任务的失败之处，主要是

regarding the tomato plants.

关于番茄种植。

I think I should not be encouraged to grow

我觉得我不应该被鼓励

tomatoes. Or, if I am, you should withhold

去种番茄。或者，如果我被鼓励，你就应该

the heavy rains, the cold nights that come

停止暴雨、寒夜，它们如此

so often here, while other regions get

频频光临这里，而其他地区却得到了

twelve weeks of summer. All this

十二个周的夏日。这一切

belongs to you: on the other hand,

都属于你：另一方面，

I planted the seeds, I watched the first shoots

我播下种子，我观察初芽

like wings tearing the soil, and it was my heart

像羽翼撕开泥土，而我的心

broken by the blight, the black spot so quickly

因为枯萎病 而破碎，当小黑点如此迅速地

multiplying in the rows. I doubt

在田垄上蔓延。我怀疑

you have a heart, in our understanding of

你的慈悲，按我们对于这个词的

that term. You who do not discriminate

理解。你并不区别

between the dead and the living, who are, in consequence,

死者与生者，你因此，

immune to foreshadowing, you may not know

无动于衷，你可能不知道

how much terror we bear, the spotted leaf,

我们承受了多大的恐惧，那布满黑点的叶子，

the red leaves of the maple falling

那枯黄的红叶，飘落

even in August, in early darkness: I am responsible

甚至在八月，在最初的黑暗中：我要负起

for these vines.

对这些作物的责任。