言词构成思想。
严厉的暴君,象你监房的
清洗和监护。
他们放牧你的想象
走下叙述关系的弯道
等待用大锻锤
敲打没有认知的
认知要素进入知识。
是,紧固文法,句法的袋子,
聪明从胡言乱语横跨一步,
就是一所舒适的
监狱。镜子的镜子。
而所有在囚禁中说出的
都被锁在了秘密之外。

THE TRADE-OFF

Words make the thoughts.
Severe tyrants, like the scrubbers
and guardians of your cells.
They herd your visions
down the ramp to nexus
waiting with sledge hammer
to knock what is the knowing
without knowing into knowledge.
Yes, the tight bag of grammar,
syntax, the clever sidestep
from babble, is a comfortable
prison. A mirror of the mirror.
And all that is uttered in its chains
is locked out from the secret.

---by Ruth Stone
露斯.斯通为美国当代著名女诗人。这两首诗选自于她的第九卷诗集[邻近的星系]，该诗集荣获第53届被誉为文学奥斯卡的美国国家图书奖。最近她又获华莱士.史蒂文思奖，奖金15万美元。