A white cloud with a travel bag on its back

一坨背着旅行包的白云

has just missed the gust of wind

错过了上一股

that’s blowing toward Rotterdam.

刮向鹿特丹的风。

It sits on an isolated dock,

它坐在半空中一个偏僻的

midair, that transports airflow.

气流中转码头上

It stares out, occasionally moves its tired

发呆，偶尔挪动一下

butt and watches how its own shadow on the river

疲惫的云屁股，低头观看

patiently plays Rock-Scissors-Cloth

它在河面上的影子

with the junior Sun.

是怎样耐心地和低幼的阳光

River Maas is so quiet that you can hear the cloud

玩着石头剪子布。

cough. And through the crossed legs of the cloud,

马斯河上安静得能听见

only a few sleepy freighters pass silently.

云的咳嗽，只有几艘

“China Shipping”, the words on the container,

还没睡醒的货轮

row like distant snoring. Suddenly the cloud catches

从云的二郎腿底下

the sight of me by the river reeds—

无声地驶过，集装箱上的

having missed my ship, I sit restlessly

“中国海运”四个汉字

on a small lonely pier.  

像一串遥远的呼噜。

We say Hello to each other.

云突然看见了

Its cloudy vowels drift around— so difficult

河边荒草中的我，同样是

to communicate with it. It extends

错过了上一班船，

a cloudy hand, trying to pass me

在一个孤零零的小码头

a Cloudy Cigarette. I decline the offer

万般坐不住。

as I only smoke the Yellow Crane Tower.

我们互相打了个招呼，

We try to make each other understood:

它的云语言元音聚合不定

I have a beautiful daughter; the white cloud has a

很难沟通。它伸出

a mixed-race son with a dark cloud that drifted

飘忽的云手，试图递给我

away last year to pick up singing above Cape Verde.

一根云烟，我表示婉拒

Before we go deeper,

因为我只抽黄鹤楼。

Three-Masted Wind arrives, sailing toward

我们努力让对方明白了

the Erasmus bridge.

我有一个漂亮女儿，它有一朵

My ship also appears in the upstream.

和乌云混血的儿子，前年

We take out our cell phones at the same time, shoot

飘到了佛得角上空去学唱歌。

some pictures, then the cloud goes on its own way

还没来得及深聊，

to Rotterdam while I set out in the opposite direction:

刮向伊拉斯谟桥的三桅风就来了，

to a village of windmills

我的船也已在上游出现。

so pinky pretty like my daughter.

我们同时掏出手机

拍照留念，而后，它去它的

鹿特丹，我则去往相反的方向：

一个风车排列成行、

像我女儿一样水灵的村庄。