What I adore is not horses, with their modern

我喜欢的不是马，它们在现代饲养条件下

domestic life span of 25 years. What I adore

寿命可以达到25岁。我喜欢的

is a bug that lives only one day, especially if

是寿命只有一天的虫子，尤其这天还是

it’s a terrible day, a day of train derailment or

一个倒霉的日子，一个火车出轨或者

chemical lake or cop admits to cover-up, a day

化学品泄漏或者警察承认伪造现场的日子，

when no one thinks of anything else, least of all

那时没有人会想别的事情，起码不会

that bug. I know how it feels, born as I’ve been

有一秒想那只虫子。我知道虫子的感受，

into these rotting times, as into sin. Everybody’s

因为我生在这个腐烂的时代，就像生在原罪中。

busy, so distraught they forget to kill me,

每个人都很忙，心烦意乱中忘了杀死我，

and even that won’t keep me alive. I share

但即使这样也不能让我活下去。我并没有

my home not with horses, but with a little dog

和马住在一起，但有一只小小的狗

who sees poorly at dusk and menaces stumps,

它在黄昏时和听到跺脚的时候看起来很可怜

makes her muscle known to every statue.

每个雕像都曾经因为它的肌肉遭殃。

I wish she could have a single day of language,

我希望它能有一天能够听懂人话，

so that I might reassure her don’t be afraid?—

这样我或许可以让她安心，不要害怕——

our whole world is dead and so can do you no harm.

我们的整个世界已经死了，它再也伤不到你。