The furies are at home
in the mirror; it is their address.
Even the clearest water,
if deep enough can drown.
Never think to surprise them.
Your face approaching ever
so friendly is the white flag
they ignore. There is no truce
with the furies. A mirror’s temperature
is always at zero. It is ice
in the veins. Its camera
is an X-ray. It is a chalice
held out to you in
silent communion, where gaspingly
you partake of a shifting
identity never your own.
You are free not to think as I do; your life, your property – all that you shall keep. But from this day on you will be a stranger among us.
人们经常是不讲道理的、没有逻辑的和以自我为中心的，不管怎样，你要原谅他们；即使你是友善的，人们可能还是会说你自私和动机不良，不管怎样，你还是要友善；当你功成名就，你会有一些虚假的朋友和一些真实的敌人，不管怎样，你还是要取得成功；即使你是诚实的和率直的，人们可能还是会欺骗你，不管怎样，你还是要诚实和率直；你多年来营造的东西，有人在一夜之间把它摧毁，不管怎样，你还是要去营造；如果你找到了平静和幸福，他们可能会嫉妒你，不管怎样，你还是要快乐；你今天做的善事，人们往往明天就会忘记，不管怎样，你还是要做善事；即使把你最好的东西给了这个世界，也许这些东西永远都不够，不管怎样，把你最好的东西给这个世界。你看，说到底，它是你和上帝之间的事，而决不是你和他人之间的事。
