This Is A Photograph Of Me
Margaret Atwood
It was taken some time ago.
At first it seems to be
a smeared
print: blurred lines and grey flecks
blended with the paper;
then, as you scan
it, you see in the left-hand corner
a thing that is like a branch: part of a tree
(balsam or spruce) emerging
and, to the right, halfway up
what ought to be a gentle
slope, a small frame house.
In the background there is a lake,
and beyond that, some low hills.
(The photograph was taken
the day after I drowned.
I am in the lake, in the center
of the picture, just under the surface.
It is difficult to say where
precisely, or to say
how large or small I am:
the effect of water
on light is a distortion
but if you look long enough,
eventually
you will be able to see me.)
这是一张我的相片
玛格丽特·阿特伍德
照得有些日子了
乍看像是
一件斑驳的
印刷物：模糊的线条，点点污迹
和纸片黏在一起;
之后，当你审视
它，你看到左上角
枝桠样的东西：冷杉或云杉的一隅
探出头来
然后，右边，朝上半中间
应该是一个平缓的
山坡，一幢小巧的木屋。
背景是一片湖，
再过去，一些矮丘。
（相片摄于
我淹死后的那天。
我就在湖里，在相片的
中心，在水面下。
很难确切地说
我搁在哪儿，也难说
我大小多少：
水会使光线
扭曲
但如果你凝视得够久，
最终，
你一定能够看到我。）