Isn't one of your prissy richpeoples' swans

这可不是你们有钱人豢养出来的娇气天鹅

Wouldn't be at home on some pristine pond

不会安居在某个干净的池塘

Chooses the whole stinking shoreline, candy wrappers, condoms

而偏偏选择那散发着恶臭的湖岸

in its tidal fringe

糖果纸，避孕套，散落在湖水潮汐边缘

Prefers to curve its muscular, slightly grubby neck

它情愿将健硕、略沾泥污的脖颈

into the body of a Great Lake,

探进这大湖的身体，

Swilling whatever it is swans swill,

大口吞咽所有天鹅都惯常吞咽的东西，

Chardonnay of algae with bouquet of crud,

藻类酿成的霞多丽，裹挟着腐垢的香气，

While Clevelanders walk by saying Look

克利夫兰人走过时会说：看，那只大鸭子！

at that big duck!

美在这里不是重点；当然天鹅生来是美丽的，

Beauty isn't the point here; of course

但不像十六岁的洛莉，那时一切皆有可能

the swan is beautiful,

——不，更像二十七岁的洛莉

But not like Lorie at 16, when

在她肮脏的厨房里抽烟打发掉休息日，

Everything was possible—no

她患哮喘的孩子在一旁看着电视，

More like Lorie at 27

她的男朋友，还不知道她正打算

Smoking away her days off in her dirty kitchen,

和他分手，在后院洗他的车子——

Her kid with asthma watching TV,

那是个瘦小的家伙，酗酒无度，而且

The boyfriend who doesn't know yet she's gonna

孩子也不是他的，可他爱她，

Leave him, washing his car out back—and

真的爱，两个都爱——

He's a runty little guy, and drinks too much, and

这才是那只天鹅的样子。

It's not his kid anyway, but he loves her, he

Really does, he loves them both—

That's the kind of swan this is.