To K. M.
《赠克木》

I do not know why men give stars those names
我不懂别人为什么给那些星辰
The stars themselves do not understand.
取一些它们不需要的名称，
They travel through space without ambition or care,
它们闲游在太空，无牵无挂，
Not caring to understand us, our desire for fame.
不了解我们，也不求闻达。
Sirius and Neptune, the Great Bear—so many names,
记着天狼、海王、大熊……这一大堆，
With their orbits, locations and elements.
还有它们的成份，它们的方位，
You tax your brain a life-time to recall them.
你绞干了脑汁，涨破了头，
Yet the universe remains undiscovered, unknown.
弄了一辈子，还是个未知的宇宙。
The stars come and go, the earth revolves,
星来星去，宇宙运行，
The seasons change, men die and men are born;
春秋代序，人死人生，
Innumerable are the suns and boundless the heavens:
太阳无量数，太空无限大，
We are transient like ants and frogs in the well.
我们只是倏忽渺少的夏虫井蛙。
Though neither mad nor deaf nor old,
不痴不聋，不作阿家翁，
Yet to be a man is to be stupid;
为人之大道全在懵懂，
You search for the truth in vain: just watch,
最好不求甚解，单是望望，
Look at the sky, the stars, the moon, the sun;
看天，看星，看月，看太阳。
Look at the hills, the streams, the clouds, the wind;
也看山，看水，看云，看风，
Look at the four seasons,
看春夏秋冬之不同，
The follies and foolishness of men.
还看人世的痴愚，人世的倥偬：
Just watch: there is joy in doing so,
静默地看着，乐在其中。
Joy beyond time and space;
乐在其中，乐在空与时以外，
For joy and I are above all realms,
我和欢乐都超越过一切境界，
Each self a universe with its sun, the moon and stars
自己成一个宇宙，有它的日月星，
For you to explore, to research, till you grow old.
来供你钻究，让你皓首穷经。
I would rather be a strange, new comet,
或是我将变成一颗奇异的彗星，
Pausing or going my way at will in the sky,
在太空中欲止即止，欲行即行，
That none may know my orbit or reality until
让人算不出轨迹，瞧不透道理，
I've crushed the sun to particles, the earth to dust.
然后把太阳敲成碎火，把地球撞成泥。