Once there was a shock

曾经有一场惊骇

that left behind a long, shimmering comet tail.

留下一道修长、闪烁的彗尾，

It keeps us inside. It makes the TV pictures snowy.

它将我们包含在内。它让电视画面变成雪花。

It settles in cold drops on the telephone wires.

它在高架线上凝成冰滴。

One can still go slowly on skis in the winter sun

一个人依然能在冬日里慢慢地滑雪

through brush where a few leaves hang on.

穿过树丛，挂着零落的叶片。

They resemble pages torn from old telephone directories.

它们像是从旧黄页上撕下，

Names swallowed by the cold.

姓名都被寒冷吞吃。

It is still beautiful to hear the heart beat

能听见心跳，这依然美丽

but often the shadow seems more real than the body.

但影子往往比躯体更为真实。

The samurai looks insignificant

在他的黑龙鳞盔甲旁边，

beside his armor of black dragon scales.

那个武士毫不起眼。

备注：据罗伯特·勃莱英译本转译