一见钟情 | Love at First Sight

Written by Wislawa Szymborska in Polish

Translated into English By Stanislaw Baranczak & Clare Cavanagh

that a sudden passion joined them

Such certainty is beautiful

but uncertainty is more beautiful still

他们彼此都深信

是瞬间迸发的激情使他们相遇

这种确定是美丽的

然而变幻无常却更为美丽

Since they'd never met before

they're sure that 

there'd been nothing between them

But what's the word from the street staircase hallways

perhaps they've passed by each other a million times

因为他们先前素未谋面,他们确信

他们之间毫无关联

然而从那街上、楼梯间

过道上传来的细语来判断

或许他们曾无数次擦肩而过

I want to ask them

if they don't remember

a moment face to face

in some revolving door

perhaps a "sorry" muttered in a crowd

a curt "wrong number" caught in the receiver

but I know the answer

No, they don't remember

我想问他们

难道不记得两人

曾在某扇旋转门中

面对面相视的那一瞬间

也许曾在人群中和对方咕哝了一句“对不起

曾拿起话筒和对方短促地说了句“打错了”

但我知道答案

是的,他们不记得

They'd be amazed to hear

that Chance has been toying with them

now for years

他们定会感到诧异

得知缘分原来已戏弄他们

多年

Not quite ready yet

to become their Destiny

it pushed them close, drove them apart

it barred their path

stifling a laugh

and then leaped aside

时机尚未成熟

宿命尚未来临

命运一会儿把他们拉近,一会儿把他们分开

阻挡他们的去路

按捺着笑声

然后跳到一旁

There were signs and signal

even if they couldn't read them yet

Perhaps three years ago

or just last Tuesday

a certain leaf fluttered

from one shoulder to another

Something was dropped and then picked up

Who knows maybe the ball that vanished

into childhood's thicket

曾经有过征兆和暗示

纵使他们还无法读懂

也许在三年前

或者就是上个星期二

某片树叶从他们一个人的肩上

飘舞到另一个人的肩上

某个东西掉下来又被拾起

天晓得,也许是那只消失在

童年那灌木丛里的球

There were doorknobs and doorbells

where one touch had covered another beforehand

Suitcases checked and standing side by side

One night

perhap the same dream

grown hazy by morning

他们曾先后触摸过

一些门把手和门铃

后来的手印覆盖了先前的手印

行李箱寄存后被放在一起

在某个夜里,也许,两人做着相同的梦

早上,梦又变模糊了

Every beginning

is only a sequel after all

and the book of events

is always open halfway through

每个开始

终究不过是一个续篇

而充满情节的那本书

总是被人从中间看起