◎董繼平 譯

從曼扎尼塔湖寄來(lái)的明信片

樹木都是玻璃制成的， 而且活著。 事實(shí)上只有一棵樹。 它從湖里升起來(lái)， 一座深紅色與黃色的巨塔。 它以空氣和那漂浮在水中的塑料墊子為食。 當(dāng)我們抵達(dá)的時(shí)候， 我只是獨(dú)自一人。 那怎么可能呢？ 在我們匆忙整理行裝的時(shí)候， 我肯定沒(méi)有帶上你就開車離開了。 我能想象， 當(dāng)我們的車尾燈漸漸消失在黑暗中， 你在黎明前的光芒中站在車道上， 感到驚訝， 或許覺(jué)得好笑。 你轉(zhuǎn)身回去玩智力游戲了嗎？ 明天我要嘗試去釣魚。 他們說(shuō)這里的魚也是玻璃制成的。 唯一對(duì)它們行之有效的誘餌就是微小的三角形鏡子， 每面鏡子表面都蝕刻著一個(gè)數(shù)字或字母。 弄清楚哪個(gè)數(shù)字或字母對(duì)哪個(gè)時(shí)辰有效， 可能是一種挑戰(zhàn)。 但當(dāng)?shù)厝苏f(shuō)， 日落之前的一小時(shí)， 一個(gè)在表面上用曳繩垂釣因此創(chuàng)造出一個(gè)V 的小1號(hào)， 始終在短暫然而狂亂的時(shí)刻發(fā)揮作用。

POSTCARD FROM LAKE MANZANITA

The trees here are made of glass， and they are alive. Actually，there is only one tree. It rises out of the lake， a huge scarlet and yellow tower. It feeds on air and plastic cushions that float in the water. When we arrived I was alone. How is that possible? I must have， in our haste to pack， driven off without you. I can picture you standing in the driveway in the predawn light， surprised， or perhaps amused, as the tail-lights of our car recede in the dark. Did you turn and go back to your puzzle? Tomorrow I will try fishing.They say the fish here are also made of glass. The only bait that works on them is tiny, triangular mirrors, each with a number or letter etched into its surface. Figuring out which number or letter is effective at which hour can be a challenge. But locals say that a small #1,trolled on the surface so it creates a V, always works for a few brief but frantic moments, one hour after sunset.

從圖書館火災(zāi)寄來(lái)的明信片

底比斯的一位狄俄尼索斯寫的一卷關(guān)于多普勒效應(yīng)的古書。一本打開時(shí)變成風(fēng)箏的書。 據(jù)說(shuō)， 那只風(fēng)箏的顏色始終都跟它飛上去的天空相同。 一本預(yù)測(cè)未來(lái)的書。 他們說(shuō)它隨著2010 年而結(jié)束。 喪失了。 全都喪失在圖書館火災(zāi)中了。 導(dǎo)游說(shuō)他徹夜不眠，對(duì)他的妻子讀我的詩(shī)。 他咀嚼的口香糖并沒(méi)有掩飾住他的氣息中的茴香烈酒氣味。 他從前是奴隸， 所采用的名字是“弗里·曼·雷伊”。 甚至有一本關(guān)于沖倒羅德島巨像的波浪的書。 我沒(méi)有你就穿過(guò)廢墟漫游， 希望你在這里， 也希望我們是陌生人。 我喜歡前面的那張圖片， 你呢？ 那本展開的書， 三根釘住書頁(yè)的屋面釘， 火焰。

POSTCARD FROM THE LIBRARY FIRE

A scroll on the Doppler effect written by one Dionysus of Thebes.A book， that when opened， became a kite. It is said that the kite was always the same color as the sky it was flown in. A book that predicted the future. They say it ended with the year 2010. Lost. All lost in the library fire. The tour guide says he stayed up all night reading my poems to his wife. The gum he is chewing does not mask the ouzo on his breath. A former slave， his adopted name is Free Man Ray. There was even a book on the history of the wave that toppled the colossus at Rhodes. Wandering though the ruins without you I wish you were here and that we were strangers. I like the picture on the front， do you? The splayed book， the three roofing nails pinning the pages back， the flames.

玩撲克的狗詩(shī)歌講習(xí)班

我領(lǐng)導(dǎo)這個(gè)詩(shī)歌講習(xí)班， 它因?yàn)橄穹聪虬l(fā)生的法國(guó)大革命而著名。 我的才智像在平靜的颶風(fēng)眼里騎三輪車的孩子而流淌。 然而學(xué)生們盯著我， 仿佛我是一部謀殺后自殺的慢動(dòng)作電影。 軟百葉窗的光與影， 整整一周都把監(jiān)牢鐵欄拖拽到我的臉上。 我宣布，所有武器和現(xiàn)金都在桌上。 很快， 這個(gè)詩(shī)歌講習(xí)班看起來(lái)就像賭場(chǎng)密室里歹徒們玩的一場(chǎng)撲克游戲。 我們拿出了哈瓦那雪茄。 然后，我們變成了玩撲克的狗。 我是一只柯利犬。 大多數(shù)學(xué)生是雜種狗； 其中一只——喬克， 豎起一只耳朵， 又耷拉一只耳朵。 但巴西爾， 具有史詩(shī)風(fēng)格的詩(shī)人， 是一只俄羅斯獵狼犬。 他帶著單片眼鏡。 我們決定擺出姿勢(shì)， 以著名詩(shī)人的群像照相。 作為柯利犬， 也作為玩撲克的狗詩(shī)歌講習(xí)班的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)， 我得是華爾特·惠特曼。 莫， 一只長(zhǎng)著哈巴狗之臉的吉娃娃和斗牛犬的雜交犬， 是埃米莉·狄金森。

THE POKER-PLAYING DOG POETRY WORKSHOP

I was leading the poetry workshop that was famous for being like the French Revolution happening in reverse. My wit flowed like a child riding a tricycle in the calm eye of a hurricane. But the students stared at me， as if I were a slow motion film of a murder-suicide.The light and shadows of an entire week of Venetian blinds dragged its prison bars across my face. All weapons and cash on the table， I declared. Soon the poetry workshop looked like a mobsters' poker game in the back room of a casino. We brought out the Havanas. Then we became poker playing dogs. I was a collie. Most of the students were mutts; one， Jock， had one ear up and one down. But Basil， a poet in the epic mode， was a borzoi. He wore a monocle. We decided to pose for a photo in a tableau of famous poets. As a collie， and leader of the Poker-Playing Dog Poetry Workshop， I got to be Walt Whitman.Mo， a pug-faced chihuahua-bulldog mix， was Emily Dickinson.

從天體海灘寄來(lái)的明信片

海灘赤身裸體。 沒(méi)有沙。 沒(méi)有鵝卵石。 沒(méi)有頁(yè)巖。 沒(méi)有石頭。波浪仿佛感到羞愧， 短暫地滾涌上來(lái)， 就在抵達(dá)海灘之前的那一刻又轉(zhuǎn)身退回去。 上面有三只鷗鳥的骨架像活動(dòng)雕塑， 仿佛懸掛在風(fēng)中。 據(jù)說(shuō)， 要是你在這片海灘上睡著了， 那么， 你就會(huì)在你的夢(mèng)中醒來(lái)， 并停留在那里。

POSTCARD FROM A NUDE BEACH

The beach is naked. No sand. No pebbles. No shale. No stones.The waves, as if they were ashamed, roll up to it tentatively, and just before they reach the shore, they turn back. Above, seeming to hang in the wind like mobiles, the skeletons of three gulls. It is said that if you should fall asleep on this beach you’ d wake up in your dream and stay there.