We Two—How Long We were Fool’d
Walt·Whitman
We two—how long we were fool’d!

Now transmuted, we swiftly escape, as Nature escapes;

We are Nature—long have we been absent, but now we return;

We become plants, leaves, foliage, roots, bark;

We are bedded in the ground—we are rocks;

We are oaks—we grow in the openings side by side;

We browse—we are two among the wild herds, spontaneous as any;

We are two fishes swimming in the sea together;

We are what the locust blossoms are—we drop scent around the lanes, mornings and

evenings;

We are also the coarse smut of beasts, vegetables, minerals;

We are two predatory hawks—we soar above, and look down;

We are two resplendent suns—we it is who balance ourselves, orbic and stellar—we

are as two comets;

We prowl fang’d and four-footed in the woods—we spring on prey;

We are two clouds, forenoons and afternoons, driving overhead;

We are seas mingling—we are two of those cheerful waves, rolling over each other, and

interwetting each other;

We are what the atmosphere is, transparent, receptive, pervious, impervious:

We are snow, rain, cold, darkness—we are each product and influence of the globe;

We have circled and circled till we have arrived home again—we two have;

We have voided all but freedom, and all but our own joy.

 

我俩，我们被愚弄了这么久，

可现在变了，我们迅速逃走，像大自然一样逃

走，

我们就是大自然，我们离开这里已经很久，但

是如今回来了，

我们变成植物、树干、树叶、树根和树皮，

我们被安置在地里、我们是岩石，

我们是橡树，我们并排地生长在林中的空地，

我们吃草，我们是野牛群中的两只，如大家一

样自然，

我们是在海中一起游泳的两条鱼，

我们是刺槐的花朵，我们早晚在小巷周围散发

香气，

我们也是兽类、植物、矿物的粗劣斑点，

我们是两只肉食的苍鹰，我们翱翔在高空，俯

视下面，

我们是两个灿烂的太阳，我们在像星球般平衡

着自己，我们是两颗彗星，

我们张牙舞爪地在树林巾梭巡，我们向猎物跃

进，

我们是午前午后在上空奔驰的两朵云，

我们是交混的海洋，我们是两个欢乐的浪头，

在互相浇泼和连环翻滚，

我们是大气、明澈而善于接受，有时能穿透，

有时不能，

我们是冰雪，雨水，寒冷，黑暗，我们是地球

上的每种势力和产品，

我们绕了一圈又一圈，最后我们又回到家里，

我俩，

我们避免了—切，除了自由和我们自己的欢欣。

李野光译