I like for you to be still

Pablo Neruda

I like for you to be still，it is as though you were absent,

and you hear me from far away，and my voice does not touch you.

It seems as though your eyes had flown away，

and it seems that a kiss had sealed your mouth.

As all things are filled with my soul

you emerge from the things, filled my soul.

You are like my soul, a butterfly of dream, and you are like the word Melancholy.

I like for you to be still，and you seem far away.

It sounds as though you were lamenting, a butterfly cooing like a dove.

And you hear me from far away and my voice does not touch you:

Let me come to be still in your silence.

And let me talk to you with your silence

that is bright as a lamp, simple as a ring.

You are like the night, with its stillness and constellations.

Your silence is that of a star, as remote and candid.

I like for you to be still, it is as though you were absent,

distant and full of sorrow as though you had died.

One word then,one smile,is enough.

And I am happy, happy that it's not true.

译本一 李宗荣

我喜欢你是寂静的，仿佛你消失了一样，

你从远处聆听我，我的声音却无法触及你。

好像你的双眼已经飞离去，如同一个吻，封缄了你的嘴。

如同所有的事物充满了我的灵魂，

你从所有的事物中浮现，充满了我的灵魂。

你像我的灵魂，一只梦的蝴蝶。你如同忧郁这个词。

我喜欢你是寂静的，好像你已远去。

你听起来像在悲叹，一只如鸽悲鸣的蝴蝶。

你从远处听见我，我的声音无法触及你：

让我在你的沉默中安静无声。

并且让我借你的沉默与你说话，

你的沉默明亮如灯，简单如指环，

你就像黑夜，拥有寂寞与群星。

你的沉默就是星星的沉默，遥远而明亮。

我喜欢你是寂静的，仿佛你消失了一样，

遥远而且哀伤，仿佛你已经死了。

彼时，一个字，一个微笑，已经足够。

而我会觉得幸福，因那不是真的而觉得幸福。

译本二

我爱你安静之时，

恍如你远离尘世。

你能听到我的声音，

那声音却触不到你的内心。

你的眼神飞走了，

你的嘴唇被热吻封闭。

你的影像浮现，

犹如世间万物充盈我的灵魂。

你好似我的灵魂，

又似梦幻的蝴蝶、忧郁的辞藻。

我爱你安静之时，

恍如你远离尘世。

似乎你在悲叹，

如同蝴蝶像鸽子一样呢喃。

你能听到我的声音，

那声音却触不到你的内心。

我在你的沉默中沉默着，

我与你的沉默谈心。

那就如同黑暗中的灯塔，

寂静中的铃音。

你就像黑夜，

点缀着寂寞与群星，

遥远而明净。

我爱你安静之时，

恍如你远离尘世。

遥远而悲伤，

如同你已经死亡。

一个答应、一个微笑，就足矣，

让我知道你不是真的远去，

因而欢喜。

笔者赏析（仅供参考）：

About these two versions of translation, a question is whether the title “Me gustas cuando callas porque estás como ausente” means：

“我喜欢/你是寂静的”or “我喜欢你/是寂静的”？

If it means “我喜欢/你是寂静的”, then we can see that the second version is proper, which means I was attracted by a speechless girl. However, if it means “我喜欢你/是寂静的”, then the first version is correct. It becomes a poem about hidden love. The poet’s love is a secret crush. Nobody knows and no body understand.

When you like a silent person, or when you like a person, but you can only be silent about this kind of love, maybe you will understand this poem. I fall in love one man, but I could not see, hear or touch him as if he disappeared. Or he did not disappear, but my love for him can only be quiet. This kind of love is blue, is melancholy, cannot be exposed in the bright sunlight.