The night sets softly 夜里轻轻套

With the hush of falling leaves, 随着落叶的静谧，

Casting shivering shadows 铸造发抖阴影

On the houses through the trees, 在穿过树林的房子，

And the light from a street lamp 从一盏路灯的光

Paints a pattern on my wall, 绘制的图案在墙上，

Like the pieces of a puzzle 就像一个谜件

Or a child's uneven scrawl. 还是孩子的不均匀乱写。

   

Up a narrow flight of stairs 上楼梯窄飞行

In a narrow little room, 在一个狭窄的小房间，

As I lie upon my bed 我躺在在床上

In the early evening gloom. 在傍晚昏暗。

Impaled on my wall 钉在墙上

My eyes can dimly see 我的眼睛可以隐约看到

The pattern of my life 我的生活模式

And the puzzle that is me. 和难题，是我。

   

From the moment of my birth 从我出生的那一刻

To the instant of my death, 到我死的瞬间，

There are patterns I must follow 有图案，我必须遵循

Just as I must breathe each breath. 正如我必须呼吸的每一口气。

Like a rat in a maze 就像一个迷宫的老鼠

The path before me lies, 路径我说谎之前，

And the pattern never alters 和图案永不会改变

Until the rat dies. 直到老鼠死亡。

   

And the pattern still remains 和图案仍

On the wall where darkness fell, 在墙壁上，其中夜色降临，

And it's fitting that it should, 和它的配件，它应

For in darkness I must dwell. 在黑暗中，我必须住。

Like the color of my skin, 像我的肤色，

Or the day that I grow old, 或者说，我老去的一天，

My life is made of patterns 我的生命是由时间模式

That can scarcely be controlled. 这几乎不能被控制。