By Timothy Murphy
His master bed has earthen walls,
and there blueberries fill his dreams
of montane meadows, braided streams
and the fine summer fishing at the falls.1. montane: 山地的,山區(qū)的;braid: v. 把……編成繩子(或穗帶)。
Six months to diet: he is fat
with venison, his coat is plush;2. venison: 鹿肉;plush: 長毛絨,栽絨。
a windless snow sifts in the hush
falling on waters which will flood the Platte.3. sift: 篩濾(固體);Platte: 普拉特河,位于美國內(nèi)布拉斯加州。
Pulse drops from fifty-five to nine
and body heat to forty-five.
Now let him sleep, barely alive,
’til the sun licks the frosting from the pine.
他的主臥榻邊是土砌的墻壁,
在那里藍(lán)莓充斥著他的夢境,
夢中有山間草地、溪流交織
還有夏日里在瀑布下的悠然垂釣。
將要忍耐六個月的饑餓:他
鹿肉肥積的身子披著栽絨袍;
寂靜篩濾出雪花,不借風(fēng)力
飄落在即將泛涌普拉特河的水面。
脈搏從每分五十五跳落至九,
體溫也降到了華氏四十五度。
現(xiàn)在讓已鮮有生機的他睡吧,
直到陽光開始舔舐松針上的冰霜。