The Lake

by Deborah Ager

黛博拉·艾泽(Deborah Ager)，美国青年诗人、评论家，美术硕士，美国诗刊《32首诗》的创始人。她在美国《布卢姆斯贝利评论》、《乔治亚州评论》、《西部季刊》、《新英格兰评论》等刊物发表评论和诗歌。现在一家大网络公司从事网络搜索引擎设计、维护、服务工作。

The yard half a yard,

half a lake blue as a corpse.

The lake will tell things you long to hear:

get away from here.

Three o"clock. Dry leaves rat-tat like maracas.

Whisky-colored grass

breaks at every step and trees

are slowly realizing they are nude.

How long will you stay?

For the lake asks questions you want to hear, too.

Months have passed since, well,

everything. Since buildings stood

black against sky, rain hissed from sidewalks

and curled around you.

O, how those avenues once seemed menacing!

I know what you miss

sings this lake. Car horns groaning

in rush hour. Sweet coffee. Wind

pounding like hammers. Warmth of a lover.

Crickets humming love songs to the street.

湖

[美]黛博拉·艾泽/ 倪志娟译

院子里一半是院子

一半是湖，它忧郁得如同一具尸体。

湖将诉说你渴望倾听的：

逃离这儿吧

三点钟。落叶发出沙球晃动时的嚓嚓声。

枯黄的草

在脚下碎裂，而树

慢慢意识到它们正在褪去衣衫。

你将停驻多久?

湖也问出了你想听到的问题。

几个月过去了，一切

照旧。那些建筑物

倚靠着天空而立，人行道上，淅淅沥沥的

雨，在你身边盘旋

哦，这些林荫道看上去多么阴森!

我知道，你怀念

湖边的吟唱。汽车喇叭在高峰时段

鸣响。香甜的咖啡。风

像小锤子似的袭来。一个情人的温暖。

蟋蟀们哼着情歌走在马路上。