Dürer would have seen a reason for living

丢勒一定发现了

in a town like this, with eight stranded whales

在这样一个小镇生活的理由，在八条搁浅的

to look at; with the sweet sea air coming into your house

鲸鱼身上；在晴天，涌入房间的

on a fine day, from water etched

新鲜海洋空气中；在雕刻着

with waves as formal as the scales

鱼鳞似波浪的

on a fish.

水面上。

One by one in two's and three's, the seagulls keep

海鸥三三两两，绕着镇上的钟楼

flying back and forth over the town clock,

盘旋，

or sailing around the lighthouse without moving their wings --

或者在灯塔附近滑翔，翅膀一动不动——

rising steadily with a slight

身体微微颤动， 

quiver of the body -- or flock

平稳地升高——或者，只是聚在一起

mewing where

咪咪叫唤，

a sea the purple of the peacock's neck is

海洋那孔雀颈羽似的紫

paled to greenish azure as Dürer changed

正在逐渐变淡，变成泛绿的蔚蓝色，如同丢勒

the pine green of the Tyrol to peacock blue and guinea

将特里尔的松绿变成孔雀蓝和珍珠鸡似的

gray. You can see a twenty-five-

灰。你能看见一只二十五磅重的

pound lobster; and fish nets arranged

龙虾；以及正在晾晒的

to dry. The

鱼网。暴风雨喧嚣的锣鼓

whirlwind fife-and-drum of the storm bends the salt

吹弯了盐沼地上的

marsh grass, disturbs stars in the sky and the

草，弄乱了天上的星星和尖塔上的

star on the steeple; it is a privilege to see so

星星；看见这么多混乱

much confusion. Disguised by what

是一种荣幸。对立

might seem the opposite, the sea-

成就了美。雾

side flowers and

留恋着

trees are favored by the fog so that you have

海边的花和树，让你的视线

the tropics first hand: the trumpet-vine,

有了回旋之地：喇叭藤，

fox-glove, giant snap-dragon, a salpiglossis that has

酒壶花，高大的金鱼草，长满斑点和斜纹的

spots and stripes; morning-glories, gourds,

蛾蝶花；牵牛，葫芦，

or moon-vines trained on fishing-twine

或者后门外

at the back door;

与钓鱼绳纠缠的月藤；

cat-tails, flags, blueberries and spiderwort,

狼尾草，菖蒲，蓝莓，紫露，

striped grass, lichens, sunflowers, asters, daisies --

斑纹草，青苔，太阳花，紫苑和雏菊——

yellow and crab-claw ragged sailors with green bracts -- toad-plant,

黄色的蟹爪，如衣衫褴褛的海员，佩戴着绿色的花蕾——，

petunias, ferns; pink lilies, blue

矮牵牛，蕨；粉色的百合，蓝色的

ones, tigers; poppies; black sweet-peas.

老虎花；罂粟；黑豌豆。

The climate

这里的气候

is not right for the banyan, frangipani, or

不适宜榕树，鸡蛋花，或

jack-fruit trees; or for exotic serpent

菠萝蜜；也不适宜

life. Ring lizard and snake-skin for the foot, if you see fit;

外来的蛇。你看见的，只是蜥蜴和它褪下的皮；

but here they've cats, not cobras, to

人们依靠猫，而不是眼镜蛇

keep down the rats. The diffident

来捕捉老鼠。这里

little newt

生长着

with white pin-dots on black horizontal spaced-

胆怯的小蝾螈，它们黑色的飘带上妆点着

out bands lives here; yet there is nothing that

白色小圆点；没有什么 

ambition can buy or take away. The college student

能被野心收买或带走。名叫安伯罗斯的大学生

named Ambrose sits on the hillside

带着他的外文书和帽子，

with his not-native books and hat

坐在山坡上， 

and sees boats

欣赏海上的航船

at sea progress white and rigid as if in

划破白色的巨浪，好像行驶在

a groove. Liking an elegance of which

深沟中。他喜欢一种

the sourch is not bravado, he knows by heart the antique

并非源于虚饰的优雅，深知木板叠构而成的

sugar-bowl shaped summer-house of

古式糖碗形的

interlacing slats, and the pitch

凉亭，和教堂的

of the church

尖顶

spire, not true, from which a man in scarlet lets

并不可靠，一个穿红色衣服的男人 

down a rope as a spider spins a thread;

悬挂在一根绳子上，像一只吐丝的蜘蛛；

he might be part of a novel, but on the sidewalk a

他也许是一篇小说中的人物，但是人行道上的一幅

sign says C. J. Poole, Steeple Jack,

白底黑字的告示写着：C. J.普勒，

in black and white; and one in red

尖塔修理工；一幅

and white says

白底红字的告示写着：

Danger. The church portico has four fluted

危险。教堂的门廊有四根长笛似的

columns, each a single piece of stone, made

柱子，每一根都嵌在一块独立的基石中，

modester by white-wash. Theis would be a fit haven for

被水洗得发白，显得更拙朴。那里

waifs, children, animals, prisoners,

为流浪汉，孩子，动物，囚犯 

and presidents who have repaid

以及通过遗忘

sin-driven

报复了心怀鬼胎的参议员们的

senators by not thinking about them. The

总统，提供了一个合适的避风港。小镇上

place has a school-house, a post-office in a

有一所学校，一个设在百货店里的

store, fish-houses, hen-houses, a three-masted schooner on

邮局，渔房，鸡场，木制的三桅

the stocks. The hero, the student,

大帆船。英雄，学生， 

the steeple-jack, each in his way,

尖塔修理工，每个人都走在回家的

is at home.

路上。

It could not be dangerous to be living

居住在这样一个小镇，

in a town like this, of simple people,

这样一群朴素的人中，不可能有什么危险， 

who have a steeple-jack placing danger signs by the church

他们有一个尖塔修理工，在教堂上发送危险信号，

while he is gilding the solid-

他正在给塔顶的星星镀金，

pointed star, which on a steeple

这星星在尖塔上

stands for hope.

代表着希望。