La Brea

Duncan Forbes

I am the tarred and feathered（严厉惩罚） stork²（鹳）
Who flapped its limbs until they stuck.

I am a tapir（貘） ancestor
Who came for water, swallowed tar¹（焦油，柏油） .

This is the asphalt（沥青，柏油） killing-ground,
A lake that thirsts. Beware. Be warned.

His trunk a blowhole（喷气孔） out of reach,
A mammoth³（巨大的，庞大的） trumpets⁴（喇叭，小号） liquid pitch.

We are a pack of dire⁵ wolves（惧狼）
Who scented⁶（嗅，觉察） death and mired⁷ ourselves.

I am the grief of a giant sloth⁸（懒惰，树懒）
Who drank the waters of black death.

Lion and lioness salivate（分泌唾液，流口水）
At bison（北美野牛） ready trapped to eat.

Coyote（小狼） , jaguar⁹（美洲虎） and puma¹⁰（美洲狮）
Die for a taste of dying llama（美洲驼） .

A squirrel bleating¹¹（咩咩叫） in distress¹²
Allures¹³ a rattlesnake（响尾蛇） to death.

The tar immobilizes both
The short-faced bear and sabretooth（剑齿虎） .

The water winnows¹⁴ skeletons
Caught in a trap of sun and rain.

I am the skull¹⁵ of the only human,
Anonymous¹⁶ La Brea Woman.

The sump（水坑） of ancient swamp（沼泽，湿地） -remains
Swallows the battles of old bones.

The eagle and the condor¹⁷（秃鹰） drown
In liquid nightfall underground.