Variation on the Word “Sleep”

Margaret Atwood

I would like to watch you sleeping,

which may not happen.

I would like to watch you,

sleeping. I would like to sleep

with you, to enter

your sleep as its smooth dark wave

slides over my head

and walk with you through that lucent1. lucent： 光亮的，透明的。

wavering forest of bluegreen leaves

with its watery sun & three moons2. three moons： 古希腊神话中月亮女神有三位，分别代表月亮的三种形态：处女神阿耳忒弥斯(Artemis）代表新月，象征丰产的赛勒涅（Selene）代表满月，年老的赫卡忒（Hecate）代表残月。

towards the cave3. cave： 相传睡神（Hypnos）住在冥府入口附近的洞穴里，忘川（Lethe）的河水就从其底部流过。where you must descend,

towards your worst fear

I would like to give you the silver

branch, the small white flower, the one

word that will protect you

from the grief at the center

of your dream, from the grief

at the center. I would like to follow

you up the long stairway

again & become

the boat4. boat： 根据古希腊神话，欲入冥界者必先通过冥河（Acheron），想过河的死者必须支付渡资，否则会被冥河摆渡人卡隆(Charon)无情地抛入河中。that would row you back

carefully, a flame

in two cupped hands

to where your body lies

beside me, and you enter

it as easily as breathing in

I would like to be the air

that inhabits you for a moment

only. I would like to be that unnoticed

& that necessary.

我愿意看你入眠，

虽然也许无法如愿。

我愿意在睡梦中，

看着你。我愿意与你

一起入睡，进入

你的梦境，让那柔滑的黑波

卷过我的头顶

和你一起穿越那片透明

的树林，叶子青绿、摇曳不定

还有水汪汪的太阳和三个月亮

走向你必须下去的那个山洞，

走向你最畏惧的恐惧

我愿递给你一根银色的

树枝，一朵小小的白花，一个

字，保护你，不让你陷进

梦境深处的忧虑，

远离那深处的哀愁。

我愿跟随你再一次

走上那道长长的楼梯

变成一叶扁舟

小心地载你回来，做一朵

双手捧住的火焰

带你回到

睡在我身旁的

你的躯体，让你

悄然回去如同吸进一口空气

我愿做那口空气

在你身体里逗留

片刻。我多愿自己也是那样地

不受注意，那样地不可分离。

评介

玛格丽特·阿特伍德（Margaret Atwood，1939— ），当代加拿大文坛的领军人物，生于渥太华，是位多产的诗人、小说家、文学评论家、女权主义者和社会活动家。她是布克奖、亚瑟·C. 克拉克奖与加拿大总督奖的得主，还曾经获得诺贝尔奖提名。虽然以小说家著称，她的许多诗作也颇值得关注。……