羅伯特·勃萊： 聽科恩音樂會

目不轉睛地愛過後，
我們聽見音符翻滾在一起，
在冬末，我們還聽見冰淩
滑下樹枝末梢。


樂符一路荒棄了如此之多。
它們是未被品吃的佳肴，沒有
享用的舒適，尚未說出的謊言。
音樂是我對你的專注。


當音樂再次傳來，
天色將晚，你眼中飽含淚水。
我看見你轉過臉
這樣，別人就看不到。


當男人和女人走到了一起，
他們得要放棄多少！鷦鷯
用彩色絲繩和線頭
編織巢窩，但每當歲末


動物放棄它們所有財物。
是什麽，男人和女人要留下的？
肯定比鷦鷯更難取舍，他們得
放棄他們對於完美的奢求。


不是由本性所築之內巢
絕不會圓滿無缺，
而每一個人不得不進入的巢
是由另一隻並非完美鳥建造的。

（微笑 譯）


Listening to the Koln Concert

                                Robert Bly


After we had loved each other intently,
we heard notes tumbling together,
in late winter, and we heard ice
falling from the ends of twigs.

 

The notes abandon so much as they move.
They are the food not eaten, the comfort
not taken, the lies not spoken.
The music is my attention to you.

 

And when the music came again,
later in the day, I saw tears in your eyes.
I saw you turn your face away
so that the others would not see.

 

When men and women come together,
how much they have to abandon! Wrens
make their nests of fancy threads
and string ends, animals

 

abandon all their money each year.
What is it that men and women leave?
Harder than wrens’ doing, they have
to abandon their longing for the perfect.

 

The inner nest not made by instinct
will never be quite round,
and each has to enter the nest
made by the other imperfect bird.