在我们曾经热切地相爱后，

After we had loved each other intently,

听见音符一齐滚落下来，

we heard notes tumbling together,

晚冬里，我们听见冰块

in late winter,  and we heard ice

坠落于嫩枝之端。

falling from the ends of twigs.

音乐移动时，它们放弃了多少东西。

The notes abandon so much as they move.

它们是未食过的食品，未享受过的

They are the food not eaten, the comfort

舒适，未说过的谎言。

not taken, the lies not spoken.

音乐，是我对你的注意力。

The music is my attention to you.

而当那音乐再次降临，

And when the music came again,

白日的晚些时候，我看见你含着泪。

later in the day, I saw tears in your eyes.

我看见你把脸侧向一边

I saw you turn your face away

为了不让别人看见。

so that the others would not see.

当男人和女人结合到一起时，

When men and women come together,

他们得放弃多少东西！鹪鹩们

how much they have to abandon! wrens

构筑它们想象交织和琴弦终止

make their nests of fancy threads

的巢穴，动物们

and string ends, animals

每一年放弃它们所有的财富

abandon all their money each year.

男人与女人留下的是什么？

What is it that men and women leave?

比鹪鹩更辛苦地工作，他们得

Harder than wrens’ doing, they have

放弃他们对完美的渴望。

to abandon their longing for the perfect.

那内心的不是由本能构筑而成的巢穴

The inner nest not made by instinct

永远也不会很圆。

will never be quite round,

每只鸟都得进入

and each has to enter the nest

那由其他不完美的鸟所构筑成的巢穴。

made by the other imperfect bird.