Strauss

Let there be light so they can fly away.
Let there be immense light so they can find a way out.
But when I open the door, they still cluster in the temple,
a dark mass. Like humans
they can only breed one child at a time, but why so many?
So many bats, flocked together, I can hardly tell
who is kin, who a sworn enemy. When they fight
they are loud, so loud, louder than us. But now they are quiet,
they duck their heads in the same posture,
as if in prayer.  It must be that a big leader
has just died. When they are quiet, it touches me.
I walk over to them, to join the company—
we are all mammals, why fear?
My yellow shirt is striking among the black,
I open my arms, revealing the totem on my chest
from my ancestors, more fearful than their terror faces.
None of them dare to come near me.
I stand alone, close to the door, close to light,
ready to make a clean cut, fly away from them.

(Translated by Ming Di and Tony Barnstone)

施特劳斯

一定要有光，它们才能飞出去，
一定要很多光，它们才能看见出路，
但当我打开大门时，它们仍旧挤在寺庙里，
黑压压一大片。它们同人类一样，
一次只能生一胎，何以繁殖出这么多。
这么多蝙蝠，拥挤在一起，以至于分不清
谁是近亲，谁是宿敌，它们厮打起来
比人类战争还惨烈，但此时它们都以同一种姿势
夹着头，仿佛在祈祷，一定是大头目
刚刚去世。它们的安静，刹那间
感动了我，我走进去，与它们为伍——
都是哺乳动物，为什么以前害怕它们。
我的黄衣衫在一片黑色中很显眼，
我伸开双臂，展露出比它们的脸更恐怖的祖先
图腾，于是谁也不敢靠近我。我靠近门，
靠近光源，随时准备与它们划清界限。