即便这会让你熬上一个通宵

Even if it keeps you up all night,

也要先把书房的墙壁和地板擦洗一新

wash down the walls and scrub the floor

再落笔写下第一个音节

of your study before composing a syllable.

做好清洁仿佛迎接教皇的驾临。

Clean the place as if the Pope were on his way.

一尘不染，乃是灵感的外甥女。

Spotlessness is the niece of inspiration.

你打扫得越彻底，文字便越会

The more you clean, the more brilliant

焕发光彩，所以不要犹豫，

your writing will be, so do not hesitate to take

尽管跑到开阔的野地，去刷洗岩石

to the open fields to scour the undersides

隐秘的底部，或在幽暗的森林里

of rocks or swab in the dark forest

擦拭高处的枝桠，和盛满鸟蛋的鸟巢。

upper branches, nests full of eggs.

当你踏上归途，回到家里，

When you find your way back home

将海绵与刷子在水槽下放好，

and stow the sponges and brushes under the sink,

便会在黎明的晨光里望见，

you will behold in the light of dawn

你的书桌已经化作无尘的祭坛，

the immaculate altar of your desk,

洁净的台面，居于洁净世界的中央。

a clean surface in the middle of a clean world.

从一只莹蓝透亮的小花瓶中，取出

From a small vase, sparkling blue, lift

一支黄色铅笔，花束中最为锋利的一朵，

a yellow pencil, the sharpest of the bouquet,

然后在纸页上写满细密的字句，

and cover pages with tiny sentences

如同长长一列虔诚的蚂蚁，

like long rows of devoted ants

它们一路追随你，自林间归来。

that followed you in from the woods.