《中國人》 by 薩姆

《中國人》

布蘭登·薩姆（宋）林木譯

 

蒸汽頂得砂鍋作響。玉米麵煮熟了。

她說她的眼睛是瓷色的。元音轉換

生成一種氣場，一種光澤映照門檻。

元音成了咒語：一個我可能是我們，

一個我回響我們如何被看見也如何看見。

眼晴的認同。天啊，她驚歎道

被照片包圍 —— 孩子們和孫子們 ——

在那裏我是唯一的中國人。我該如何

透過家人的眼睛去看 —— 貓頭鷹的眼睛

在眼睛裏，還有一隻在它的眼瞼裏側過來：目 ——

我在桌旁和她一起想

把一個橄欖——黑眼——放進每片葉子，

那磨損的葉子上寫著玉米地的田間筆記。

在玉米穗殼裏的黑眼睛能看到什麽？

 

Chino

BY BRANDON SOM

 

The olla knocked with steam. The masa cooked.

                           She said her eyes are china. The vowel switched

on an aura, a shine that sheens the threshold.

                                          The vowel was spell: an i that might we,

an i that echoes how we’re seen and see.

                           Eyedentity. Ay Dios, she exclaimed

surrounded by photos — niños and nietos — 

                                          where I’m the only chino. How might I

see through my family’s eyes — an owl’s eyes

                           in ojos and one in its lid turned sideways 目 — 

I wondered with her at the table where we

                                         placed one olive — ojo negro — in each hoja,

that worn folio for field corn’s field notes.

                          What does that dark eye in the ear’s husk see?