黑色的穹窿也比它四脚明亮。

The black night sky was brighter than those legs,

它无法与黑暗溶为一体。

And he could not dissolve into the dark.

在那个夜晚，我们坐在篝火旁边

That evening, as we sat beside our fire,

一匹黑色的马儿映入眼底。

The jet-black horse first came into our sight.

我不记得比它更黑的物体。

I can remember nothing that was blacker.

它的四脚黑如乌煤。

Like coal his legs, and he was black as night

它黑得如同夜晚，如同空虚。

Or emptiness, from mane to tail all black.

周身黑咕隆咚，从鬃到尾。

But there was yet another kind of blackness

但它那没有鞍子的脊背上

Around his back that never felt a saddle.

却是另外一种黑暗。

He stood unmoving. And he seemed to sleep.

它纹丝不动地伫立。仿佛沉睡酣酣。

The blackness of his hooves was frightening.

它蹄子上的黑暗令人胆战。

All black he was and did not feel the shadows.

它浑身漆黑，感觉不到身影。

So black that he could not become more dark.

如此漆黑，黑到了顶点。

As black as the obscurity of midnight.

如此漆黑，仿佛处于针的内部。

As black as it is black inside a needle.

如此漆黑，就像子夜的黑暗。

Black as the trees that loomed in front of him.

如此漆黑，如同它前方的树木。

Like the seed’s hiding place beneath the ground,

恰似肋骨间的凹陷的胸脯。

The hollow in the breast between the ribs.

恰似地窖深处的粮仓。

.I think: inside our bodies we are black.

我想：我们的体内是漆黑一团。

But yet he stood there black before our eyes!

可它仍在我们眼前发黑！

It was still only midnight on the clock.

钟表上还只是子夜时分。

He did not come one step nearer to us.

它的腹股中笼罩着无底的黑暗。

Fathomless darkness reigned within his groin.

它一步也没有朝我们靠近。

His back had already disappeared from sight.

它的脊背已经辨认不清，

There was no patch of brightness left on it.

明亮之斑没剩下一毫一丝。

His eyes shone whitely like a stinging blow.

它的双眼白光一闪，像手指一弹。

The pupil was more terrifying still.

那瞳孔更是令人畏惧。

He seemed to be somebody’s negative.

它仿佛是某人的底片。

Why had he halted in his onward stride

它为何在我们中间停留？

To stay among us until morning came?

为何不从篝火旁边走开，

Why did he still remain beside the fire?

驻足直到黎明降临的时候？

Why did he breathe upon us the black air

为何呼吸着黑色的空气，

And rustle like crushed branches under foot?

把压坏的树枝弄得瑟瑟嗖嗖？

Why did he pour black light out of his eyes?

为何从眼中射出黑色的光芒？

He was looking for a rider in our midst.

它在我们中间寻找骑手。