那个男孩，丢了球的那个，

What is the boy now, who has lost his ball,

他现在能做什么？我看到那球

What, what is he to do? I saw it go

欢快地蹦跳着，沿街滚下，

Merrily bouncing, down the street, and then

然后欢快地跳过马路牙子——现在它在水里！

Merrily over—there it is in the water!

不要说“还有别的球”，没用：

No use to say 'O there are other balls':

一种终极的震颤的悲哀把那男孩固定住

An ultimate shaking grief fixes the boy

当他僵直地站着，浑身发抖，瞪着下面。

As he stands rigid, trembling, staring down

他全部的青葱岁月都倒进了那个掉进球的

All his young days into the harbour where

海港。我不会打扰他，

His ball went. I would not intrude on him,

给一毛钱，让他再买一只球，这毫无意义。现在

A dime, another ball, is worthless. Now

他第一次在占有财富的世界里

He senses first responsibility

感到了责任的存在。人们会买球，

In a world of possessions. People will take balls,

而球总是会丢，小男孩，没有人会把丢的球买回来。

Balls will be lost always, little boy,

金钱只存在于身心之外。

And no one buys a ball back. Money is external.

在他绝望的眼睛后面，他在学会

He is learning, well behind his desperate eyes,

关于“失去”的认识论，如何站起身

The epistemology of loss, how to stand up

学会每个人都必须在某一天学会的东西，

Knowing what every man must one day know

——虽然多数人都花了远不止一天——如何站直了

And most know many days, how to stand up

然后逐渐放松回到街上，吹一下口哨，让那球从视野里消失。

And gradually light returns to the street

但是很快我的一部分会搜索那海港深沉黑暗的水底……

A whistle blows, the ball is out of sight,

我在每个地方，我又在受难又在离开，我的头脑和心在离开

Soon part of me will explore the deep and dark

而另外的东西却在拉扯我，在水底下，

Floor of the harbour . . I am everywhere,

或者在口哨里，我已经不是一个小男孩。

I suffer and move, my mind and my heart move

With all that move me, under the water

Or whistling, I am not a little boy.