《蟾蜍之死》 by 威爾伯

《蟾蜍之死》理查德·威爾伯 林木譯

 

電動割草機逮到一隻蟾蜍，

咬斷了一條腿。它一瘸一拐

跳到花園邊上，藏在

瓜葉菊葉下，在灰白

心形的葉蔭中，一片幽暗、

低矮、最後的林中空地。

 

那珍貴與生俱來的的心血流出，

滲入地皮，順著褶皺和幹癟之處，流進

鼓脹而凝視的眼中淚槽。它躺著

一動不動，仿佛要回歸石頭，

無聲地守候著，死去

向著某種深沉的單調之音，

 

向著迷霧彌漫且奔湧的海洋

和涼爽的海岸，向著失去的兩棲類王國。

白晝緩緩退場，沉沒而最終消失

在睜大的古老雙眼中，它們似乎依然

注視著，越過修剪後的草坪，

枯萎的日光駛離。

 

The Death of a Toad

By Richard Wilbur

 

A toad the power mower caught,

Chewed and clipped of a leg, with a hobbling hop has got

To the garden verge, and sanctuaried him

Under the cineraria leaves, in the shade

Of the ashen and heartshaped leaves, in a dim,

Low, and a final glade.

 

The rare original heartsblood goes,

Spends on the earthen hide, in the folds and wizenings, flows

In the gutters of the banked and staring eyes. He lies

As still as if he would return to stone,

And soundlessly attending, dies

Toward some deep monotone,

 

Toward misted and ebullient seas

And cooling shores, toward lost Amphibia’s emperies.

Day dwindles, drowning and at length is gone

In the wide and antique eyes, which still appear

To watch, across the castrate lawn,

The haggard daylight steer.

[LinMu]

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[海邊紅樹]

平安是福。