The precision of pain and the blurriness of joy. I'm thinking

疼痛的精确性和欢乐的模糊性。我在想

how precise people are when they describe their pain in a doctor's office.

人们是怎样精确地在医院里向大夫描述他们的疼痛。

Even those who haven't learned to read and write are precise:

即便那些还没有学会读写的人也懂得精确：

"This one's a throbbing pain, that one's a wrenching pain,

这种是一跳一跳的痛，这种是

this one gnaws, that one burns, this is a sharp pain

扭伤的痛，这种是咬痛，这种是灼痛还有

and that––a dull one. Right here. Precisely here,

这种是刀割似的痛而这个

yes, yes." Joy blurs everything. I've heard people say

是一种隐痛。在这儿。精确地说就在这儿，对，对。

after nights of love and feasting, "It was great,

I was in seventh heaven." Even the spaceman who floated

欢乐却把一切弄得模糊。我曾听人说过

in outer space, tethered to a spaceship, could say only, "Great,

在爱情和狂欢的夜晚之后：真是太棒了，

wonderful, I have no words."

我都飞上七重云霄了。但即便是太空人漂浮

The blurriness of joy and the precision of pain —

在外层空间，拴在飞船上，他却只能说，真棒，

I want to describe, with a sharp pain's precision, happiness

真奇妙，我无法形容。

and blurry joy. I learned to speak among the pains.

欢乐的模糊性和疼痛的精确性——

我要用那种剧痛的精确性来描述

幸福以及模糊的欢乐。我学会在各种疼痛中说话。