英文诗词赏读：Styx

英文诗词赏读：Styx

　　Styx

　　by Dana Levin

　　You put a bag around your head and walked into the river.

　　You

　　walked into the river with a bag around your head and you were

　　never dead，

　　in your land of scythe and snow——

　　game on the banks of your

　　mental styx——

　　for the double

　　audience

　　of smoke——

　　——

　　You pressed a coin into his palm and stepped across the water.

　　You

　　stepped across the water with a hand on his arm and he was

　　silent and kind as you

　　shoved off， toward the smoky coils

　　of the greek-seeming dead——

　　You‘d been trying to sleep.

　　Found yourself here，

　　in the mythocryptic land——

　　The river

　　——

　　had widened to a lake. You were anchored

　　in the shallow boat

　　by his faceless weight——

　　And on the green shore you could see their vapored

　　residue， how they could

　　smell it， those two， your blood‘s

　　curl and shade——

　　If you

　　——

　　slit your wrist you could make them speak.

　　If you

　　slit your wrist you might be able to sleep， he‘s

　　got a hand on your arm，

　　he wants you to see——

　　Dead， dead：

　　he wants you to see.

　　Ferryman， Sandman， head

　　a featureless

　　cloud——

　　Grief. It is Grief. Handing you back your coin.