At Seventeen

at seventeen
十七岁
一峰至爱Janis Ian
珍妮斯‧伊安
i learned the truth at seventeen
十七岁那年 我了解了真象
that love was meant for beauty queens
爱情是美丽女人的专利
and high school girls with clear skinned smiles
拥有纯洁笑容的高中女生
who married young and then retired
她们早婚然后安逸的生活
the valentines i never knew
那些与我无缘的情人节
the friday night charades of youth
那些上演着青春闹剧的星期五
were spent on one more beautiful
也都只为那些美女而设
at seventeen i learned the truth
十七岁那年 我得知真象
and those of us with ravaged faces
而我们这些脸蛋一无可取的
lacking in the social graces
拙于社交
desperately remained at home
绝望的家中枯坐
inventing lovers on the phone
虚拟情人来电 想像他们说
who called to say come dance with me"
“出来跳个舞吧”
and murmured vague obscenities
和一些若有似无的轻言佻语
it isn't all it seems at seventeen
十七岁不是想像中的样子
a brown-eyed girl in hand me downs
一个棕眼女孩 穿着姐妹相传的过时旧衣
whose name i never could pronounce
连名字我都叫不出
said"pity please the ones who serve,
她说“请同情那些卑微的
they only get what they deserve"
她们只得了本份应得的”
and the rich relationed home town queen
那个家世辉煌的校花
marries into what she needs
嫁给了她的需求
with a guarantee of company and haven for the elderly
一个长期伴侣和一家老来栖身之所
remember those who win the game
记得那些赢了游戏
lose the love they sought to gain
却输了所爱的人
in debentures of quality and dubious integrity
迷失在剩余价值和模糊和自尊里
the small town eyes would gape at you in dull surprise
小镇的眼睛对你投以平淡无奇的惊视
when payment due exceeds accounts received at seventeen
当你的算计入不敷出 就在十七岁那年
to those of us who knew the pain
给那些深知此痛的我们
of valentines that never came
为了那些从未降临的情人节
and those whose names were never called
也给那些从未雀屏中选的
when choosing sides for basketball
在甄选篮球队员时
it was long ago and far away
已是好久好远以前的事了
the world was younger than today
那时的世界还年轻
and dreams were all they gave for free
做梦是唯一免费的消遣
to ugly duckling girls like me
对我们这此丑小鸭来说
we all played the game and when we dared
我们都玩过且无忌的
to cheat ourselves at solitaire
在这类单人游戏里自欺欺人
inventing lovers on the phone
虚拟情人来电
repenting other lives unknown
替一些不知名的人感到遗憾
they call and say "come dance with me"
佯装他们说“出来跳个舞吧”
and murmur vague obscenities
和一些若有似无的轻言佻语
at ugly girls like me--at seventeen
对着我们这些丑小鸭----那年十七岁