Blackberry-Picking by Seamus Heaney

采黑莓

Late August, given heavy rain and sun

晚秋，一场暴雨和骄阳
For a full week, the blackberries would ripen.

只需一周，黑莓就会熟透
At first, just one, a glossy purple clot

起初，只一个，接着就长出许多紫色斑点
Among others, red, green, hard as a knot.

其它里面呢，红的、绿的，硬如小结
You ate that first one and its flesh was sweet

你尝第一口，果肉鲜甜
Like thickened wine: summer's blood was in it

就象浓稠的葡萄酒：里面是夏天的血液
Leaving stains upon the tongue and lust for

就让它在舌头上染色，激起                                                                                    
Picking. Then red ones inked up and that hunger

采摘的强烈欲望。接着，红葡萄染色，饥饿者
Sent us out with milk cans, pea tins, jam-pots

给我们分发牛奶罐、豌豆缸和果酱罐
Where briars scratched and wet grass bleached our boots.

野蔷薇丛划破皮肤，湿草使我们的靴子腿色
Round hayfields, cornfields and potato-drills

草场周围，谷场和西红柿园
We trekked and picked until the cans were full

我们采了很长一段路，直采到罐子装满
Until the tinkling bottom had been covered

直到叮当响的罐底被

With green ones, and on top big dark blobs burned

绿葡萄盖住，上面是大的、黑的、撕破的斑点
Like a plate of eyes. Our hands were peppered

象一盘眼珠。我们的手

With thorn pricks, our palms sticky as Bluebeard's.

被棘刺得辣辣的，我们的巴掌粘粘的象蓝胡须

We hoarded the fresh berries in the byre.                                               

我们把鲜莓贮藏在牛棚
But when the bath was filled we found a fur,

但当装满浴盆我们发现软毛
A rat-grey fungus, glutting on our cache.

鼠灰色真菌，充斥在我们的贮藏品
The juice was stinking too. Once off the bush

汁也变得难闻的气味。一旦离开采摘地
The fruit fermented, the sweet flesh would turn sour.

水果发酵，鲜甜的果肉就会变酸
I always felt like crying. It wasn't fair

我总是感觉象在哭泣。这是不能接受的
That all the lovely canfuls smelt of rot.

所有的可爱的罐体腐烂融化
Each year I hoped they'd keep, knew they would not.

每年我都希望它们能保存，纵然知道不能