天外飛來巴斯光年

What do they think has happened, the old fools,
何辜啊何辜，人老了糊塗，

To make them like this? Do they somehow suppose
何苦啊何苦，有苦說不出。

It's more grown-up when your mouth hangs open and drools,
當你嘴合不攏，口水如注，

And you keep on pissing yourself, and can't remember
當你尿不自禁，濡身溼褲，

Who called this morning? Or that, if they only chose,
當你掛了電話，誰記不住。

They could alter things back to when they danced all night
當你只願回顧，那一夜舞，

Or went to the wedding, or sloped arms some September?
那婚禮，那某年九月的小幸福，

Or do they fancy theirs is really been no change,
晉冠成古丘，唯獨你不服。

And they're always behaved as if they were crippled or tight,
老朽的動物，蹣跚地行路，

Or sat through days of thin continuous dreaming
呆坐到日暮，尋夢千百度。

Watching light move?
敢情你張目，在察光飄忽？

If they don't (and they can't), it's strange:
如果不是(不不不不)，還真恐怖！

Why aren't they screaming?
怎沒人喊救命乎？

At death, you break up: the beat that were you
當大限已屆，心跳如落葉，

Start speeding away from each other for ever
跟生命訣別，加速不停歇。

With no one to see. It's only oblivion, true:
沒人能發覺，真相遭忘卻，

We had it before, but then it was going to end
我們皆無缺，是老天絕決。

And was all the time merging with a unique endeavour
若聲嘶力竭，流光能凝結，

To bring to bloom the million-petalled flower
化作百萬瓣，綻放的花顏，

Of being here. Next time you can't pretend
擋在你面前，百口莫能辯：這就是「時間」。

There'll be anything else. And these are the first signs:
人老可預見，

Not knowing how, not hearing who, the power
不知何以故，不察誰做主

Of chosen gone. Their looks show that they're for it:
萬般皆遲暮，一一得暴露:

Ash hair, toad hands, prune face dried into lines
雞皮鶴髮像蟾蜍，風乾腐橘當神木，

How can they ignore it?
有誰傻得看不出？

Perhaps being old is having lighted rooms
也許老化就像是，腦內打光的密室，

Inside your head, and people in them, acting.
室內住著不少人，各忙各的有私事，

People you know, yet can't quite name; each looms
這些室友你認識，偏偏不詳其姓字，

Like a deep loss restored, from known doors turning