老去的斗牛
――大凉山斗牛的故事之一

它站在那里
  站在夕阳下
一动也不动
  低垂着衰老的头
它的整个身躯
  像被海浪啃咬过的
    礁石
它那双伤痕斑斑的角
    像狼的断齿

它站在那里
  站在夕阳下
紧闭着一只
  还剩下的独眼
任一群苍蝇
围着自己的头颅飞旋
任一些大胆牛虻
爬满自己的脸
它的主人不知到何处去了
它站在那里
  站在夕阳下
这时它梦见了壮年的时候
想起火把节的早晨

它好像又听见头上的角发出动人的声响
它好像又听见鼻孔里发出远山的歌唱
它好像又嗅到了斗牛场
  那熟悉而又潮湿的气息
它好像又感到一阵狂野的冲动
  从那黑色的土地上升起
它好像又感到
  奔流着的血潮正涌向全身
每一根牛毛都像坚硬的钢丝一般
它好像又听到了人们欢呼的声音
在夏日阳光的原野上
像一只只金色的鹿
欢快着奔跑着跳跃着
它好像又看见那年轻的主人牵着它
红色的彩带挂在了头顶
在高高的山岗
它的锐角挑着一轮太阳
红得就像鲜血一样

它站在那里
  站在夕阳下
有时会睁开那一只独眼
望着昔日的斗牛场
发出一声悲哀的吼叫
于是那一身
    枯黄的毛皮
便像一团火
  在那里疯狂地燃烧

An Old Fighting Bull

He stands there
In the glow of the setting sun
He remains motionless
With his decrepit head hanging low
His whole body
Looks like a reef gnawed by sea breakers
His broken horns
Like the ragged teeth of a wolf

He stands there
In the glow of the setting sun
The only eye that is left now
Is tightly closed
Despite the flies
Swarming around his head
Despite the audacious gadflies
Creeping on his cheeks
His master is nowhere to be seen
He stands there
In the glow of the setting sun
He reposes on the days when he was young and strong
Calling to mind the morning of the Torch Festival

It seems he hears his horns clanking merrily again
It seems he hears his bellowing echoing in the distant mountains
It seems that he has smelt again
The familiar damp scent of the bullfighting aground
It seems he feels a sudden impulse of brutality
Rising up again from the black earth
He feels as if once again
Hot blood is surging through his whole body
Each of his hairs is as hard as steel wire
It seems he hears again people’s cheerful shouts
Like golden deer
Running and frolicking happily
On fields bathed in summer sunlight
He feels that he is still led along by his young master
A red ribbon hanging from the crown of his head
And on a lofty peak
His sharp horns prop up the fiery ball of the sun
Scarlet like fresh blood

He stands there
In the glow of the setting sun
Sometimes he opens his remaining eye
And looking at the ground he fought in the former days
Emits a long and melancholy bellow
Thereupon his whole body
Covered with its brownish-yellow hide
Is just like a ball of fire
That is burning fiercely there