那个夏天落在一车阳光里

That summer day, sunlight spilled onto the car,

溅出沿途野菊，鼓着小腮帮

splashing wild asters by the road, their cheeks plumped

看我们远去

as they watched us disappear.

加大油门，没有谁

We picked up speed. No one

再提起她了，地面的风裹起碎石

spoke her name. Stones whipped from the dirt road

我看见公路上游着骨灰的薄光

beneath a hazy drift of bone ash.

父亲抱着我的肩膀，指点我

Father touched my shoulder, pointing

辨认大豆的叶子，停车时

at a field of soybeans. When the car pulled up

我摸到它们的眼泪，还很小

I got out and felt the beans. Small,

很硬，鼓在狭长的绿眼角里

hard, their long green eyes swelling in the pods.

成群的粉蝶拐弯抹角，也有一只

Clouds of pink butterflies swerved and danced. One

搂住草杆，尽量贴紧发抖的翅膀

clinging to a weedstalk fanned its shivery wings.

哦，我认出了她的老年斑，这些

Oh, it bore her liver spots, those

她咒骂过的斑点，我走近一步

stains she cursed. At my first step

她的脸就折叠着飞开了

it folded up her face and flew.

父亲从玉米地里弯腰出来，已经

Bent over, father emerged from a corn field.

埋好了，他说，再过些日子

Buried well, he said, and soon

会有粗根筑一座碉堡给她

thick roots will build her fortress.

回去的时候，也是野菊引路

Asters the whole way back,

一只兜风的金龟子在挡风玻璃上撞死

and a gleaming beetle splattered on the windshield.

父亲抱着我，谁都不再提起她了

Father held me. No one spoke her name.