又一种甲胄动物——鳞甲

Another armored animal–scale

层层相叠，像圆锥形的云杉一样整齐，一直到尾部，

lapping scale with spruce-cone regularity until they

形成了不间断的

form the uninterrupted central

同心圆！近似于有头和腿并装备了坚韧沙囊的

tail row! This near artichoke with head and legs and

朝鲜蓟，

grit-equipped gizzard,

这微型的晚间艺术工程师，

the night miniature artist engineer is,

正是列奥纳多•达芬奇的复制品——

yes, Leonardo da Vinci’s replica–

我们很少听说的、令人难忘的勤劳动物。

impressive animal and toiler of whom we seldom hear.

盔甲仿佛是多余的。但是对他而言，

Armor seems extra. But for him,

隐藏的耳脊——

the closing ear-ridge–

无遮蔽的、没有

or bare ear licking even this small

突起的耳朵，有类似安全收缩装备的

eminence and similarly safe

contracting nose and eye apertures

鼻子以及闭上后无法穿透的

impenetrably closable, are not;–a true ant-eater,

眼缝，都不是多余的；它是一个真正的食蚁兽，

not cockroach-eater, who endures

绝不吃蟑螂，忍受着

exhausting solitary trips through unfamiliar ground at night,

疲惫不堪的孤独，夜晚，在月光

returning before sunrise; stepping in the moonlight,

（尤其要借助于月光），穿行于陌生之地，

on the moonlight peculiarly, that the outside

日出前才归来。他的手的外缘

edges of his hands may bear the weight and save the

可以承重，保护用于挖掘的

claws

爪子。在树上

for digging. Serpentined about

攀缘时，他一点也不好斗，

the tree, he draws

总是回避危险，

away from danger unpugnaciously,

只会发出一阵无害的嘶嘶声；他保持着

with no sound but a harmless hiss; keeping

the fragile grace of the Thomas-

威斯敏斯特教堂的铁蔓藤雕花栏杆上

of-Leighton Buzzard Westminster Abbey wrought-iron

那种柔弱的优雅，有时

vine, or

把自己滚成一个球，

rolls himself into a ball that has

能抵抗任何外力的侵犯；他没有细瘦的脖子，尾巴

power to defy all effort to unroll it; strongly intailed, neat

可以紧紧蜷起，以整洁的头为中心，一直盘绕到脚。

head for core, on neck not breaking off, with curled-in feet.

他有抵抗利刺的鳞甲；岩石中的洞穴

Nevertheless he has sting-proof scales; and nest

从里面封上土，因此

of rocks closed with earth from inside, which he can

变得很暗。

thus darken.

太阳与月亮与白昼与夜晚与人与野兽，

Sun and moon and day and night and man and beast

每件事物都拥有一种光，

each with a splendor

人及其所有的卑劣，

which man in all his vileness cannot

不应对此视而不见；每件事物都有奇妙之处！

set aside; each with an excellence!

"Fearful yet to be feared," the armored

“胆怯者也是可怖的，”这甲胄的食蚁兽

ant-eater met by the driver-ant does not turn back, but

遭遇兵蚁时，绝不后退，而是

engulfs what he can, the flattered sword-

吞噬他所能吞噬的一切，当兵蚁为了报复，

edged leafpoints on the tail and artichoke set leg-and

蜂拥着爬上他的身体，

body-plates

他放平尾部和身体上锋利的

quivering violently when it retaliates

叶状鳞片，剧烈地颤抖着，四肢和身体变得密不透风，如同

and swarms on him. Compact like the furled fringed frill

伽格拉斯雕刻的斗牛士头上

on the hat-brim of Gargallo’s hollow iron head of a

那顶帽子的卷边。最后它跌落在地

matador, he will drop and will

毫发无损地

then walk away

溜走了。当然，如果没有受到侵扰，

unhurt, although if unintruded on,

他也能借助尾巴，小心地

he cautiously works down the tree, helped

by his tail. The giant-pangolin-

爬下树。穿山甲那巨大的

tail, graceful tool, as prop or hand or broom or ax, tipped like

尾巴，是一件优雅得体的工具，作为支柱或手或扫帚或斧头，

an elephant’s trunk with special skin,

其顶端如同大象的鼻尖，有特殊的皮肤。

is not lost on this ant-and stone-swallowing uninjurable

对于这难以被伤害的甲胄动物来说，

artichoke which simpletons thought a living fable

并不是无用的。人们通常认为，

whom the stones had nourished, whereas ants had done

他靠石头和蚂蚁为生，是一种活生生的

so. Pangolins are not aggressive animals; between

神话传说。穿山甲不具侵略性；在

dusk and day they have the not unchain-like machine-like

黄昏与黎明之间，他有坦克似的

form and frictionless creep of a thing

外形和漂浮似的爬行，

made graceful by adversities, con-

优雅地适应了逆境。

versities. To explain grace requires

a curious hand. If that which is at all were not forever,

阐释上帝的恩宠需要

why would those who graced the spires

一双奇特的手。如果现存的一切不是永恒的，

with animals and gathered there to rest, on cold luxurious

人们为何要用动物形象装饰教堂尖顶，使其显得优美，

low stone seats–a monk and monk and monk–between the

在那精巧的石柱之间，为何要雕刻

thus

丰美的矮石座来承托石像——一个又一个修道士的石像——

ingenious roof-supports, have slaved to confuse

为何要辛勤地工作，融合

grace with a kindly manner, time in which to pay a

多重美德，爱邻人并信奉宽恕，

debt,

为何要在石制窗框中巧妙地运用

the cure for sins, a graceful use

至今仍受到赞赏的

of what are yet

十字型窗棂？一艘海船

approved stone mullions branching out across

the perpendiculars? A sailboat

是第一机械。穿山甲，也是如此。

was the first machine. Pangolins, made

用四条腿，沉默地滑行，

for moving quietly also, are models of exactness,

堪称精确的典范；有时它按照人特有的姿势，

on four legs; on hind feet plantigrade,

用后腿直行。在太阳和月亮下，人们为了活得更好，

with certain postures of a man. Beneath sun and moon,

努力工作着，却忽视了另一半值得拥有的鲜花。

man slaving

必须聪明地选择如何运用他的力量；

to make his life more sweet, leaves half the flowers worth

黄蜂似的造纸者；蚂蚁似的

having,

食物搬运工；悬挂在绝壁上的

needing to choose wisely how to use his strength;

蜘蛛似的

a paper-maker like the wasp; a tractor of foodstuffs,

结网者；在战斗中，配备

like the ant; spidering a length

穿山甲似的机械装置；在沮丧中

of web from bluffs

above a stream; in fighting, mechanicked

倾覆。俗气或完全

like to pangolin; capsizing in

赤裸裸的人，自我，我们称为人的存在，世界的

disheartenment. Bedizened or stark

书写者，一个黑暗的怪兽，

naked, man, the self, the being we call human, writing-

“厌恶他可憎的同类”，不肯原谅他人的

master to this world, griffons a dark

过错。在动物中，只有人才有幽默感：

"Like does not like like that is obnoxious"; and writes error

幽默消除了一些困扰，节省了时间。他稍具见解，

with four

谦逊，冷漠，又感情用事，

r’s. Among animals, one has a sense of humor.

有不屈不饶的毅力，

Humor saves a few steps, it saves years. Uningnorant,

和前进的能力，

modest and unemotional, and all emotion,

是能使其他生物呼吸加快、寒毛竖立的

he has everlasting vigor,

为数不多的动物之一。

power to grow,

有时毫不畏惧，

though there are few creatures who can make one

有时胆怯不前，有时步履谨慎，好像

breathe faster and make one erecter.

每一步都会遭遇不测。符合

Not afraid of anything is he,

如下标准——温血，无鳃，有四肢和少许毛发——

and then goes cowering forth, tread paced to meet an obstacle

他

at every step. Consistent with the

是一种哺乳动物；坐在自己的栖息地，

formula–warm blood, no gills, two pairs of hands and a few

穿着毛料衣服，厚重的鞋子。被恐惧追逐。他，总是

hairs–that

缩头缩脑，黯然失色，因黑夜来临而受挫，遗憾于

is a mammal; there he sits in his own habitat,

未竟的事业，

serge-clad, strong-shod. The prey of fear, he, always

对替换黑夜的光明说，

curtailed, extinguished, thwarted by the dusk, work

“太阳将再次升起！

partly done,

新的一天到来；新的新的新的

says to the alternating blaze,

阳光进入我的心灵，并安抚我的灵魂。”

"Again the sun!

anew each day; and new and new and new,

that comes into and steadies my soul."