they were wed by the sea,
在海边结婚。

Their nine-day-long honeymoon
was on the isle of Capri.
For their supper they had one specatular dish-
a simmering stew of mollusks and fish.
And while he savored the broth,
her brides heart made a wish.
晚餐,他们享用了一道非常特别的菜——
贝类和鱼一起炖煮的热腾腾浓汤。
当他品尝汤汁的时候,
新娘在心中许下愿望。
心愿实现了——她生了一个宝宝,
但这个小家伙是人类吗?
嗯!
也许吧。
在卡布里岛,
享受九天的蜜月。

Ten fingers, ten toes,he had plumbing and sight.
He could hear, he could feel,but normal?
Not quite.This unnatural birth,
this canker, this blight,
was the start and the end and the sum of their plight.
他有十只手指、十只脚趾,
也有消化管和眼睛。
他听得见,他有感觉。
但是他正常吗?
也不是!
这个非自然得诞生、这个伤痛、这个挫折,
是他们痛苦的开始、结束,以及所有的一切。

She railed at the doctor:
"He cannot be mine.He smells of the ocean,
of seaweed and brine."
她责怪医生:
“他不是我生的!
他闻起来有海水、海草,那种咸咸的味道。”

"You should count yourself lucky,
for only last week,
I treated a girl with three ears and a beak.
That your son is half oysteryou cannot blame me....
have you ever considered,
by chance,a small home by the sea?"
“你应该觉得自己幸运!就在上个礼拜,
我还帮一个有三只耳朵、一张鸟嘴的女孩看病。
你的儿子是半个牡蛎,
你可不能怪我。
……你可曾想过,
搬到海边的小屋?”

Not knowing what to name him,
they just called him Sam,or sometimes,
"that thing that looks like a clam
"Everyone wondered,
but no one could tell,
When would young Oyster Boy come out of his shell?
不知道该给他取什么名字,
他们随口叫他山姆,
偶尔,也称他
“那个看起来像蛤仔的东西”。
每个人都在想,
小牡蛎什么时候会从壳里爬出来?
但没有人知道答案。

When the Thompson quadruplets espied him one day,
they called him a bivalve and ran quickly away.
One spring afternoon,
Sam was left in the rain.At the southwestern corner of Seaview and Main,
he watched the rain water as it swirleddown the drain.
有一天,汤普森家的四胞胎看见他,
“双壳贝!”喊完后一溜烟的跑走了。
某一个春天的午后,
山姆在雨中离开家,
独自站里在海边西南侧一隅,
望着雨水卷起旋涡
流入脚下的水沟。

His mom on the freewayin the breakdown lanewas pouding the dashboard-she couldnt containthe ever-rising grief,frustration,and pain.
山姆的妈妈在
瘫痪的高速高速公路上,
猛敲着仪表板。
她再也无法承受,
这高涨的悲哀、
无边的沮丧
和痛苦。

Really, sweetheart," she said
"I dont mean to make fun,
but something smells fishyand I think its our son.I dont like to say this,
but it must be said,
youre blaming our son for your problems in bed."
她说道:“真的!甜心,
我不是在开玩笑,
我的确闻到鱼腥味,
我想那是我们的儿子。
有件事我不想提起,但却说不可,
你把自己在床上的问题,归罪给我们的儿子。”

He tried salves,
he tried ointmentsthat turned everything red.
He tried potions and lotionsand tincture of lead.
He ached and he itched and he twitched and he bled.
他尝试涂抹各种药膏、油膏,
只换来全身的红肿。
他试过多种口服剂、酒精,
甚至是含铅的毒酒,
他即痒又痛、全身抽搐,并且开始流血
