《安靜的世界》 by 麥克丹尼爾

《安靜的世界》   林木譯

傑弗裏·麥克丹尼爾

 

為了讓人們更加注視

彼此的眼睛，

也為了安撫啞巴，

政府決定

分配給每個人每天——

正好一百六十七個詞。

 

電話響起時，我將聽筒貼在耳邊

卻不說“喂”。在餐館裏

我指著雞肉麵湯。

我正在適應這種新的方式。

 

深夜，我撥通遠方戀人的電話，

自豪地說我今天隻用了五十九個詞，

我把剩下的都留給你。

 

當她沒有回應，

我知道她已經用完了所有的詞，

於是我緩緩低語我愛你

三十二又三分之一遍。

之後，我們隻是守著電話線

聽著彼此的呼吸聲。

 

The Quiet World

By Jeffrey McDaniel

 

In an effort to get people to look

into each other’s eyes more,

and also to appease the mutes,

the government has decided

to allot each person exactly one hundred   

and sixty-seven words, per day.

 

When the phone rings, I put it to my ear   

without saying hello. In the restaurant   

I point at chicken noodle soup.

I am adjusting well to the new way.

 

Late at night, I call my long distance lover,   

proudly say I only used fifty-nine today.   

I saved the rest for you.

 

When she doesn’t respond,

I know she’s used up all her words,   

so I slowly whisper I love you

thirty-two and a third times.

After that, we just sit on the line   

and listen to each other breathe.