蔗尾蜂房

[我們也不對他談她的事情]
--Stevie Smith

當著我們的面他對她隻字不提
我們也不對他談她的事情，
可是唉呀我們一見到他就傷心
他變得多麼蒼白消瘦。
我們說：她啃噬著他日夜不停息
吸盡了他的血氣，
我們不知詳情只是說我們猜想
難怪他就這樣瘦了下去。

一日我們打電話又到他家按電鈴，
屋裡面無聲無息，
我們說：她一定把他勾引走了
去一座古老又幽闇的森林，
已經發生了，我們說，就是她
把他吃掉於幽闇的森林，
但我們又該怎麼幫助他逃離
在幽闇森林被吃的命運？

這段時間我們真不得安寧，
因為沒接到他求救的訊息，
我們來回踱步最後上床休息，
這對他一點也沒有幫助。
有時我們會搖著頭說
假如他跟她講講我們的事
或我們對他談起她
一定會有更好的結局。
這樣說使我們感到幫上了忙，直到
又沒有話講了為止。

[Nor We of Her to Him]

He said no word of her to us
Nor we of her to him,
But oh it saddened us to see
How wan he grew and thin.
We said: she eats him day and night
And draws the blood from him,
We did not know but said we thought
This was why he grew thin.

One day we called and rang the bell,
No answer came within,
We said: She must have took him off
To the forest old and grim,
It has fell out, we said, that she
Eats him in forest grim,
And how can we help him being eaten
Up in forests grim?

It is a restless time we spend,
We have no help from him,
We walk about and go to bed,
It is no help to him.
Sometimes we shake our heads and say
It might have better been
If he had spoke of us to her
Or we of her to him.
Which makes us feel helpful, until
The silence comes again.