地球，圆的，滚动的，紧密的——太阳，月亮，动物——所有这些都是要说的话;水的、蔬菜的、类生物的进步——生物、预感、对未来的预言，看!这些话太大了。你以为那些竖着的线条就是那些字吗?那些曲线，角度，点?不，那些不是文字——真正的文字在地面和海洋里，它们在空中——它们在你心里。你是不是认为那些话——那些从你朋友嘴里说出来的美妙的声音?不，真正的文字比它们更美味。人的身体就是文字，无数的文字;在最好的诗中，人的身体，无论是男人的还是女人的，体态匀称，自然，愉快，每一部分都有能力，活跃，乐于接受，没有羞耻，也不需要羞耻。 Air, soil, water, fire--these are words; I myself am a word with them--my qualities interpenetrate with theirs--my name is nothing to them; Though it were told in the three thousand languages, what would air, soil, water, fire, know of my name? A healthy presence, a friendly or commanding gesture, are words, sayings, meanings; The charms that go with the mere looks of some men and women, are sayings and meanings also. The workmanship of souls is by the inaudible words of the earth; The great masters know the earth's words, and use them more than the audible words. Amelioration is one of the earth's words; The earth neither lags nor hastens; 20 It has all attributes, growths, effects, latent in itself from the jump; It is not half beautiful only--defects and excrescences show just as much as perfections show. The earth does not withhold, it is generous enough; The truths of the earth continually wait, they are not so conceal'd either; They are calm, subtle, untransmissible by print; They are imbued through all things, conveying themselves willingly, Conveying a sentiment and invitation of the earth--I utter and utter, I speak not, yet if you hear me not, of what avail am I to you? To bear--to better--lacking these, of what avail am I? Accouche! Accouchez! 30 Will you rot your own fruit in yourself there? Will you squat and stifle there? The earth does not argue, Is not pathetic, has no arrangements, Does not scream, haste, persuade, threaten, promise, Makes no discriminations, has no conceivable failures, Closes nothing, refuses nothing, shuts none out, Of all the powers, objects, states, it notifies, shuts none out. The earth does not exhibit itself, nor refuse to exhibit itself-- possesses still underneath; Underneath the ostensible sounds, the august chorus of heroes, the wail of slaves, 40 Persuasions of lovers, curses, gasps of the dying, laughter of young people, accents of bargainers, Underneath these, possessing the words that never fail. To her children, the words of the eloquent dumb great mother never fail; The true words do not fail, for motion does not fail, and reflection does not fail; Also the day and night do not fail, and the voyage we pursue does not fail. Of the interminable sisters, Of the ceaseless cotillions of sisters, Of the centripetal and centrifugal sisters, the elder and younger sisters, The beautiful sister we know dances on with the rest. With her ample back towards every beholder, 50 With the fascinations of youth, and the equal fascinations of age, Sits she whom I too love like the rest--sits undisturb'd, Holding up in her hand what has the character of a mirror, while her eyes glance back from it, Glance as she sits, inviting none, denying none, Holding a mirror day and night tirelessly before her own face. Seen at hand, or seen at a distance, Duly the twenty-four appear in public every day, Duly approach and pass with their companions, or a companion, Looking from no countenances of their own, but from the countenances of those who are with them, From the countenances of children or women, or the manly countenance, 60 From the open countenances of animals, or from inanimate things, From the landscape or waters, or from the exquisite apparition of the sky, From our countenances, mine and yours, faithfully returning them, Every day in public appearing without fail, but never twice with the same companions. Embracing man, embracing all, proceed the three hundred and sixty- five resistlessly round the sun; Embracing all, soothing, supporting, follow close three hundred and sixty-five offsets of the first, sure and necessary as they. Tumbling on steadily, nothing dreading, Sunshine, storm, cold, heat, forever withstanding, passing, carrying, The