We know that

a falling-out between

two old friends

can leave a deeper and

more perplexing hurt than

the ending of a love affair,

perhaps because we are

more pessimistic about

the latter's endurance

from the start.

比起愛戀情事的曲終人散，

兩位老友分道揚鑣

所留下的苦楚更是深刻、

令人抑鬱神傷。

我們對此了然於胸，

或許是因為早已預期了

男歡女愛的激情

本來就不會天長地久。

文：Phillip Lopate

譯：Platero

圖：Saul Leiter,

"Untitled" c.1950