A Kite Is a Victim

A kite is a victim you are sure of.

You love it because it pulls

gentle enough to call you master,

strong enough to call you fool;

because it lives

like a desperate trained falcon¹

in the high sweet air,

and you can always haul it down

to tame it in your drawer.

A kite is a fish you have already caught

in a pool where no fish come,

so you play him carefully and long,

and hope he won't give up,

or the wind die down.

A kite is the last poem you've written,

so you give it to the wind,

but you don't let it go

until someone finds you

something else to do.

A kite is a contract of glory

that must be made with the sun,

so you make friends with the field

the river and the wind,

then you pray the whole cold night before,

under the travelling cordless moon,

So make you worthy² and lyric³ and pure.

无辜的风筝

风筝是你明明知道的被控制者。

你喜欢它是因为它在扯得

松到一定程度时可以让你成为主人，

紧到一定程度时可以让你成为傻瓜；

因为它活得

就像是在那令人向往的高空中

受过训勇于孤注一掷的猎鹰，

而且你总能把它拉下来

驯服地回到你的抽屉之中。

风筝是你在没有鱼游来的池塘里

已经抓在手中的一条鱼，

因此你可以细心且长时间地玩弄它，

而且希望它不会弃你而去，

除非风儿已渐渐停息。

风筝是你已写完的最后一首诗，

所以你把它扔到风里，

却又不让它远离

直到有人找到

别的事情交给你。

风筝想必是和太阳签署的

一份光荣的协定，

因此你和大地交朋友

和河流以及风，

然后你又向以前所有的寒夜发出请求，

这样，在自由行走的月亮之下，

可以让你可敬、抒情又纯情。