双语·《西尔维娅·普拉斯诗集》 侦探

The Detective
侦探

What was she doing when it blew in
她在做什么？当风吹过

Over the seven hills, the red furrow, the blue mountain?
七座丘陵，红色犁沟，青色山脉？

Was she arranging cups? It is important.
她在准备杯子吗？这很重要。

Was she at the window, listening?
她在窗户边，倾听？

In that valley the train shrieks echo like souls on hooks.
山谷里回荡着火车的尖啸，仿佛魂被钩住。

That is the valley of death, though the cows thrive.
那是死亡山谷，只有牛群生机勃勃。

In her garden the lies were shaking out their moist silks
她的花园里，谎言抖平潮湿的真丝

And the eyes of the killer moving sluglike and sidelong,
那个杀手的眼睛像鼻涕虫似的斜视，

Unable to face the fingers, those egotists.
无法面对那些手指，自私自利者。

The fingers were tamping a woman into a wall,
那些手指将一个女子塞进一堵墙，

A body into pipe, and the smoke rising.
将身体填进管道，然后烟雾升起。

This is the smell of years burning, here in the kitchen,
多年烹饪的味道，这是在厨房里，

These are the deceits, tacked up like family photographs,
还有谎言，犹如家庭照片被收藏，

And this is a man, look at his smile,
就是这个男人，瞧他的微笑，

The death weapon? No one is dead.
死亡武器？没人死亡。

There is no body in the house at all.
那房子里根本没有尸体。

There is the smell of polish, there are plush carpets.
那儿只有豪华地毯，精美的味道。

There is the sunlight, playing its blades,
那儿阳光闪烁，锋利如刀片，

Bored hoodlum in a red room
红色房间里厌倦的恶棍

Where the wireless talks to itself like an elderly relative.
收音机好像上了年纪的亲戚自言自语。

Did it come like an arrow, did it come like a knife?
它来时像箭，它来时像刀？

Which of the poisons is it?
它是哪种毒？

Which of the nerve-curlers, the convulsors? Did it electrify?
哪个神经曲卷器，抽搐器？它带电吗？

This is a case without a body.
这是一个没有尸体的案子。

The body does not come into it at all.
尸体根本没有出现在这个案子里。

It is a case of vaporization.
这案子蒸发得毫无痕迹。

The mouth first, its absence reported
首先是嘴，它不存在

In the second year. It had been insatiable
第二年才有报道。它曾经贪得无厌

And in punishment was hung out like brown fruit
而为了惩罚它，像不新鲜的水果

To wrinkle and dry.
它被挂起、风干。

The breasts next.
接着是双乳。

These were harder, two white stones.
已经变硬，两块白色石头。

The milk came yellow, then blue and sweet as water.
乳汁变黄，然后变蓝，甜如水。

There was no absence of lips, there were two children,
不缺少嘴巴，还有两个孩子，

But their bones showed, and the moon smiled.
但他们骨瘦如柴，月亮却微笑了。

Then the dry wood, the gates.
然后是干枯的树木，几重大门，

The brown motherly furrows, the whole estate.
棕色、慈母般的犁沟，所有财产。

We walk on air, Watson.
我们得意扬扬，华生。

There is only the moon, embalmed in phosphorus.
只有月亮发出磷光，涂抹防腐香膏。

There is only a crow in a tree. Make notes.
只有树上的一只乌鸦。做笔记吧。

(1962/10/01. pp.208—209. No.174)
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