老婆

【美】艾达·利蒙      陈子弘 译

我对这个词还不适应，
它短促而凿凿听起来就像是
生活。昨天晚饭时，我那帮单身女郎
对一个朋友即将成行的一趟走访
有个告诫：“这并非良匹” 她们
白眼上下翻飞游离于她们
年轻的俊俏脑袋。老婆，为啥声音听起来
就像是在干活？“我要个老婆”那著名
女权主义者写道：“一个能给我洗衣、
熨衣、缝补、如有需要还换纽扣之类
的老婆。”这个词很容易就可以
变成女仆。老婆可以做事、解决问题
抚慰、崇拜、顺从、家庭主妇、
母夜叉、坏老婆、好老婆，正是
描述某人久久盯着明晨可以用的
那个词，甚至在将来连准备茶饮都
做不到，水壶里咕噜咕噜翻滚
像火车鸣笛一样响亮，那个晨间
抽泣的她，那个在大地上撕了
一个洞的她无法止住悲伤，
那个想爱你的人，却经常
连这一点都做不好，那个
一点也不想因为多么愿意
成为你的但却被轻贱的人。

Wife

I’m not yet comfortable with the word,
its short clean woosh that sounds like
life. At dinner last night my single girls
said in admonition, “It’s not wife-approved”
about a friend’s upcoming trip. Their
eyes rolled up and over and out their
pretty young heads. Wife, why does it
sound like a job? “I need a wife” the famous
feminist wrote, “a wife that will keep my
clothes clean, ironed, mended, replaced
if need be.” A word that could be made
easily into maid. A wife that does, fixes
soothes, honors, obeys, Housewife,
fishwife, bad wife, good wife, what’s
the word for someone who stares long
into the morning, unable to even fix tea
some days, the kettle steaming over
loud like a train whistle, she who cries
in the mornings, she who tears a hole
in the earth and cannot stop grieving,
the one who wants to love you, but often
isn’t good at even that, the one who
doesn’t want to be diminished
by how much she wants to be yours.

Ada Limón, "Wife" from The Carrying.  Copyright © 2018 by Ada Limón.