The Map

地圖

Elizabeth Bishop

Land lies in water; it is shadowed green.

陸地躺在水中；影影綽綽的綠。

Shadows， or are they shallows， at its edges

陰影，或許是淺灘，在它的邊緣

showing the line of long sea-weeded ledges

呈現長長的、遍生海藻的礁巖輪廓

where weeds hang to the simple blue from green.

那兒，自綠色中，海藻纏附于純凈的藍。

Or does the land lean down tolift the sea from under，

陸地向下傾斜，或許是為了高高托起大海，

drawing it unperturbed around itself ?

不動聲色地曳著它，環繞自身？

Along the fine tan sandy shelf

沿著細膩的、棕褐多沙的大陸架陸地

is the land tugging at the sea from under?

是否從海底使勁拽著海洋？

The shadow of Newfound land liesflat and still.

紐芬蘭的影子靜靜平躺。

Labrador’s yellow， where the moony Eskimo

拉布拉多呈黃色，在恍惚的愛斯基摩人

has oiled it. We can stroke these lovely bays，

給它上油的地方。我們能在玻璃下愛撫

under a glass as if they were expected to blossom，

這些迷人的海灣，仿佛期待它們綻放花朵

or as if to provide a clean cagefor invisible fish.

或是要為看不見的魚兒提供一座凈籠。

The names of seashore towns runout to sea，

海濱小鎮的名字奔涌入海，

the names of cities cross the neighboring mountains

城市之名越過毗鄰的山脈

— the printer here experiencing the same excitement

——這兒，印刷工體會著同樣的亢奮

as when emotion too far exceed sits cause.

當情感也遠遠超越它的因由。

These peninsulas take the water between thumb and finger

這些半島在拇指和其余手指間掬水

like women feeling for the smoothness of yard- goods.

宛如女人摩挲一匹匹光滑的織物。

Mapped waters are more quiet than the land is，

繪入地圖的水域比陸地更安靜，? lending the land their waves' own conformation:

它們把自身波浪的構造借給陸地：? and Norway's hare runs south in agitation，

挪威的野兔在驚懼中向南跑去，? profiles investigate the sea， where land is.

縱剖圖測量著大海，那兒是陸地所在。? Are they assigned， or can the countries pick their colors?

國土可否自行選取色彩，還是聽從分派？?-What suits the character or the native waters best.

哪種顏色最適合其性格，最適合當地的水域。? Topography displays no favorites; North's as near as West.

地形學不會偏袒；北方和西方一樣近。? More delicate than the historians' are the map-makers' colors.?

比歷史學家更精微的，是地圖繪制者的色彩。