I always forget the name,

我总是想不起它的名字，

delphinium,

“翠雀花”，

even though it was the flower

即使它是

the hummingbirds

蜂鸟们

loved best. They came in pairs—sleek,

最爱的花。它们成双成对到来——

emerald-bright

光滑的，祖母绿的小脑袋

heads, the clockwork machinery

那钟表一样精确挥动的

of their blurred wings

快到模糊的双翅

thrumming swift, menacing engines.

迅疾地倏倏作响，咄咄逼人的机器。

They slipped their beaks.

它们抽动鸟喙，

as if they were swizzle sticks, deep

就像在用小棒搅动香槟，深深地

into the blue

插入

throat of delphinium and sucked

翠雀花蓝色的喉咙

dry the nectar-

吸干蜜汁——

chilled hearts like goblets full of sweet,

冰冷的心就像高脚杯

frozen daiquiri.

装满了甜蜜的，冰冻的黛克瑞酒。

I liked to sit on the back porch

我喜欢在黄昏

in the evenings,

坐在后门廊，

watching them and eating Spanish

一边看它们一边吃

peanuts, rolling

西班牙花生，在

each nut between thumb and forefinger

拇指和食指之间转动它们

to rub away

捻去上面

the red salty skin like brittle

红色的浸盐外皮

tissue paper,

就像捻去脆硬的纸巾。

until the meat emerged gleaming,

直到露出闪亮的果核，

yellow like old

就像老象牙一样黄，

ivory, smooth as polished bone.

就像抛光的骨头一样光滑。

And late August,

在八月末，

after exclamations of gold

在黄花的感慨之后，

flowers, tiny

锦鸡儿树

and bitter, the caragana

长出又小又苦的种子，

trees let down their

它让自己的豆荚成熟，

beans to ripen, dry, and rupture—

干透，开裂——

at first there was

这里会有

the soft drum of popcorn, slick with oil,

爆米花轻柔的鼓声，开始时油滑得意，

puttering some-

踱步走过——

where in between seed, heat, and cloud.

在种子，热浪和云中间。

Then sharp cracks like cap

然后尖锐地爆炸

gun or diminutive fireworks,

就像发令枪或者微小的烟花。

caragana

而锦鸡儿的豆子

peas catapulting skyward like

就像弹丸一样

pellet missiles.

被弹向天空。

Sometimes a meadowlark would lace

有时草地百灵鸟会用旋律

the night air with

给夜晚的空气

its elaborate melody,

织满精致的蕾丝，

rippling and sleek

就像黑色的缎带

as a black satin ribbon. Some-

光滑地泛起波纹。

times there would be

有时

a falling star. And because

我能看到流星。

this happened in

因为这些发生在怀俄明州，

Wyoming, and because this was

而且因为

my parents’ house,

这里是我父母的房子，

and because I’m never happy

而且因为

with anything,

我从来没有因为任何事情而感到开心，

at any time, I always wished

在任何时候。我一直希望，

that I was some-

我在另一个地方，

where, anywhere else, but here.

哪里都可以，除了这里。