1.

1

The emptiness of man is not like

人的空虚不像任何别的：

any other: not like an empty coat

不像一件空外套

or empty sack (things which do not stand up

或是空袋子（那空了

when empty, such as an empty man),

就不能立着的东西，就像一个空虚的人），

the emptiness of man is more like fullness

人的空虚更像充满

in swollen things which keep on swelling,

在肿胀并且不断肿胀着的事物中，

the way a sack must feel

一个袋子会感觉

that is being filled, or any sack at all.

被塞满，或是任何一个袋子。

The emptiness of man, this full emptiness,

人的空虚，这充满的空虚，

is not like a sack of bricks’ emptiness

不像一袋子砖头的空虚

or a sack of rivets’, it does not have the pulse

或是一袋子铆钉的空虚，它没有

that beats in a seed bag or bag of eggs.

种子袋或鸡蛋袋的脉搏。

2.

2

The emptiness of man, though it resembles

人的空虚，尽管它像

fullness, and seems all of a piece, actually

充满，并且像是完整的一块，实际上

is made of nothings, bits of emptiness,

却不是用任何东西形成，点点滴滴的空虚，

like the sponge, empty when filled,

就像海绵，充满的时候是空的，

swollen like the sponge, with air, with empty air;

像海绵般肿胀，充满空气，充满空空的空气；

it has copied its very structure from the sponge,

它从海绵那儿抄袭了自己的构造，

it is made up in clusters, of bubbles, of non-grapes.

它是一簇簇泡沫、非葡萄的东西组成。

Man’s empty fullness is like a sack

人的空虚的充满就像一个袋子

filled with sponges, is filled with emptiness:

填满了海绵，充满了空虚：

man’s emptiness, or swollen emptiness,

人的空虚，或是肿胀的空虚，

or the emptiness that swells by being empty.

或者因为是空的所以肿胀的空虚。