译‖使者

The Envoy by Jane Hirshfield

使者（简·赫斯菲尔德）

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One day in that room, a small rat.

一天，那屋来了只老鼠。

Two days later, a snake.

过了两天，又来了条蛇。

Who, seeing me enter,

见我进屋，

whipped the long stripe of his

悉悉索索赶紧把身子

body under the bed,

躲到床底下，

then curled like a docile house-pet.

蜷缩着像温顺的宠物。

I don’t know how either came or left.

不知它们如何来去自由，

Later, the flashlight found nothing.

拿着手电却寻不到踪迹。

For a year I watched

一年来，我觉察到有种东西，

as something—terror? happiness? grief?—

恐惧？欢愉？抑或悲痛？

entered and then left my body.

在身体里来回穿梭。

Not knowing how it camein,

不知这情绪是如何来的，

Not knowing how it went out.

又是如何去的。

It hung where words could not reach it.

它悬在心里语言无法企及。

It slept where light could not go.

它沉睡着灯光照不进去。

Its scent was neither snake nor rat,

这气味既不是蛇也不是鼠，

neither sensualist nor ascetic.

既不是行尸走肉也不是禁欲如仇。

There are openings in our lives

生命中总会有些出口

of which we know nothing.

而我们却一无所知。

Through them

有了这些出口，

the belled herds travel at will,

系铃的羊群才能自由遨游，

long-legged and thirsty, covered with foreign dust.

大步向前，饥肠辘辘，远走他乡。

《使者》是美国当代诗人简.赫斯菲尔德的一首名诗，诗人受过禅宗的影响，因此把禅意写进了诗句，使者要传递什么信息，靠读者自己用心去解析。

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