First day of snow, the low sun

雪后第一日，太阳低垂

glinting on the gate post where a single

门柱熠熠生辉，一只特维奥特母羊孤单地

Teviot ewe is licking

舔舐栅栏上的融霜，其他羊

frost-melt from the bars, the other sheep

远在低处田野。牧草披雪，闪闪发光，

away in the lower field, the light on the crusted

让我想起，

meadow grass that makes me think

还未成熟的梅子。不足外人道。

of unripe plums so local an event

似乎有好一阵

it seems, for one long breath,

时间都要停止

that time might stop;

更好的也许是，根本不是我

or, better, that it isn’t me at all

站在这里，不是我，在这扇窗前，凝望窗外

who stands here, at this window, gazing out,

不是我，醒来太迟

not me who woke up late, when everyone

当其他人已纷纷离去，上班，上学。而是另外一个

had gone to work or school, but someone else,

一个和我那么像的人，像到谁都

a man so like myself that nobody

看不出不同——我们有一样的眼睛，一样的嘴

would spot the difference– same eyes, same mouth –

但他有一种能力，我不知

but gifted with a knowledge I can scarcely

如何描述，只能勉强称其为

register in words, unless I call it

优雅的，游牧般的，一种已经遗失的技艺

graceful and nomadic, some lost art

从羊群的蹄痕，飞鸟的踪迹，

of finding home in sheep trails, lines of flight,

和亲身歌唱的距离感中

the feel of distance singing in the flesh,

寻得家门

that happiness-as-forage, bedding in,

幸福如草料

declining, making sense of what it finds.

将寻得的一切拼在一起

拒绝接受

又终于理解一切的意义