When Death Comes
by Mary Oliver


When death comes
like the hungry bear in autumn;
when death comes and takes all the bright coins from his purse
to buy me, and snaps the purse shut;
when death comes
like the measle-pox
when death comes
like an iceberg between the shoulder blades,
I want to step through the door full of curiosity, wondering:
what is it going to be like, that cottage of darkness?
And therefore I look upon everything
as a brotherhood and a sisterhood,
and I look upon time as no more than an idea,
and I consider eternity as another possibility,
and I think of each life as a flower, as common
as a field daisy, and as singular,
and each name a comfortable music in the mouth,
tending, as all music does, toward silence,
and each body a lion of courage, and something
precious to the earth.
When it’s over, I want to say all my life
I was a bride married to amazement.
I was the bridegroom, taking the world into my arms.
When it’s over, I don’t want to wonder
if I have made of my life something particular, and real.
I don’t want to find myself sighing and frightened,
or full of argument.
I don’t want to end up simply having visited this world.


当死亡来临

玛丽·奥利弗   缪剑刚译

当死亡来临
像秋天饥饿的熊
当死亡来临，掏出全部的银币购买我时
又猛地把钱包合上
当死亡来临
像麻疹和天花
当死亡来临
像肩膀肋骨之间的一座冰山
我将迎出门，满怀好奇和疑问
它到底会像什么，那间黑暗小屋？
所以，我怀着兄弟姐妹的亲情看待一切
我看待时间只是一个观念
我认为永恒是另一种可能
我相信每个生命都是花，像野雏菊一样
普通又独特
每个名字都美好的像齿间音乐
一如所有音乐的那样，趋向沉默
每个身体都有狮子的勇气和地球上珍贵的东西
当它结束，我想说我的一生
都是嫁给了惊奇的新娘
也是那新郎，把世界揽在臂弯
当它结束，我不再怀疑
我是否创造了独特而真实的生活
我不想看到一个充满叹息、惊恐的自己
或者满怀狐疑
我不想简单地结束，只是在世上走了一遭

荔荔 发表于 2025-8-15 09:32
学习佳译，问好缪诗人

谢谢荔荔老师，祝一切好！

学习佳译，问好缪诗人

And therefore I look upon everything
as a brotherhood and a sisterhood,
and I look upon time as no more than an idea,
and I consider eternity as another possibility,
and I think of each life as a flower, as common
as a field daisy, and as singular,
and each name a comfortable music in the mouth,
tending, as all music does, toward silence,
and each body a lion of courage, and something
precious to the earth.


所以，我怀着兄弟姐妹的亲情看待一切
我看待时间只是一个观念
我认为永恒是另一种可能
我相信每个生命都是花，像野雏菊一样
普通又独特
每个名字都美好的像齿间音乐
一如所有音乐的那样，趋向沉默
每个身体都有狮子的勇气和地球上珍贵的东西。