我将独自悲伤，

I will grieve alone,

那时我一个人闲逛，几年前，沿着

As I strolled alone, years ago, down along

俄亥俄河畔。

The Ohio shore.

我隐没在流浪者丛林的野草

I hid in the hobo jungle weeds

从主排水管处往上走，

Upstream from the sewer main,

一边沉思，眺望着。

Pondering, gazing.

我看见，河边一带，

I saw, down river,

醋厂附近的

At Twenty-third and Water Streets

二十三街和沃特街，

By the vinegar works,

傍晚很早就开了门。

The doors open in early evening.

招摇着手提包的女人们

Swinging their purses, the women

沿长长的大街蜂拥到河边

Poured down the long street to the river

或河上。

And into the river.

我不知道她们能怎样

I do not know how it was

淹没于每个夜晚，

They could drown every evening.

黎明前几点钟爬上另一边河岸，

What time near dawn did they climb up the other shore,

晾干她们的翅膀？

Drying their wings?

因为西弗吉尼亚惠灵那条河，

For the river at Wheeling, West Virginia,

只有两条岸：

Has only two shores:

一条在地狱，另一条

The one in hell, the other

在俄亥俄州布里奇波特①。

In Bridgeport, Ohio.

而且没有人会犯自杀罪，只是

And nobody would commit suicide, only

去寻求死亡之外的

To find beyond death

俄亥俄州布里奇波特。

Bridgeport, Ohio.

译注：

①布里奇波特（Bridgeport）是康狄涅格州的第一大城市。