《結》 by 斯特勞德

結

約瑟夫·斯特勞德

 

試著係鞋帶，笨拙，理不清

其中的邏輯，手忙腳亂，父親站在一旁，

對兒子的怒氣升高，他第一次

連最簡單的事都做不成

連鞋子的結也係不好——“你以為

這輩子會有人一直給你係鞋帶？”——

不，我回答，四十五年後，係著鞋帶，

手因回憶而顫抖。父親

還有那些童年時我弄不明白

他如何愛我，一個結係得太緊，我用了一生

才解開。

 

（林木譯）

 

“Knots”

Joseph Stroud

 

Trying to tie my shoes, clumsy, not able to work out

the logic of it, fumbling, as my father stands there,

his anger growing over a son who can’t even do

this simplest thing for the first time, can’t even manage

the knot to keep his shoes on-You think someone’s

going to tie your shoes for you the rest of your life?-

No, I answer, forty-five years later, tying my shoe,

hands trembling with this memory. My father

and all those years of childhood not being able to work out

how he loved me, a knot so tight it has taken all my life

to untie.