The black night sky was brighter than those legs,

黑色的穹窿也比它四脚明亮。

And he could not dissolve into the dark.

它无法与黑暗溶为一体。

That evening, as we sat beside our fire,

在那个夜晚，我们坐在篝火旁边

The jet-black horse first came into our sight.

一匹黑色的马儿映入眼底。

I can remember nothing that was blacker.

我不记得比它更黑的物体。

Like coal his legs, and he was black as night

它的四脚黑如乌煤。

Or emptiness, from mane to tail all black.

它黑得如同夜晚，如同空虚。

But there was yet another kind of blackness

周身黑咕隆咚，从鬃到尾。

Around his back that never felt a saddle.

但它那没有鞍子的脊背上

He stood unmoving. And he seemed to sleep.

却是另外一种黑暗。

The blackness of his hooves was frightening.

它纹丝不动地伫立。仿佛沉睡酣酣。

它蹄子上的黑暗令人胆战。

All black he was and did not feel the shadows.

So black that he could not become more dark.

它浑身漆黑，感觉不到身影。

As black as the obscurity of midnight.

如此漆黑，黑到了顶点。

As black as it is black inside a needle.

如此漆黑，仿佛处于针的内部。

Black as the trees that loomed in front of him.

如此漆黑，就像子夜的黑暗。

Like the seed’s hiding place beneath the ground,

如此漆黑，如同它前方的树木。

The hollow in the breast between the ribs.

恰似肋骨间的凹陷的胸脯。

.I think: inside our bodies we are black.

恰似地窖深处的粮仓。

我想：我们的体内是漆黑一团。

But yet he stood there black before our eyes!

It was still only midnight on the clock.

可它仍在我们眼前发黑！

He did not come one step nearer to us.

钟表上还只是子夜时分。

Fathomless darkness reigned within his groin.

它的腹股中笼罩着无底的黑暗。

His back had already disappeared from sight.

它一步也没有朝我们靠近。

There was no patch of brightness left on it.

它的脊背已经辨认不清，

His eyes shone whitely like a stinging blow.

明亮之斑没剩下一毫一丝。

The pupil was more terrifying still.

它的双眼白光一闪，像手指一弹。

那瞳孔更是令人畏惧。

He seemed to be somebody’s negative.

Why had he halted in his onward stride

它仿佛是某人的底片。

To stay among us until morning came?

它为何在我们中间停留？

Why did he still remain beside the fire?

为何不从篝火旁边走开，

Why did he breathe upon us the black air

驻足直到黎明降临的时候？

And rustle like crushed branches under foot?

为何呼吸着黑色的空气，

Why did he pour black light out of his eyes?

把压坏的树枝弄得瑟瑟嗖嗖？

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。