Translation Exercise I / 翻譯練習(一)

Author: Muk Lam (in Chinese)

I could immediately tell you my opinion about every city I've ever visited. Taipei is exquisite: her scents are complex, far fuller than Hong Kong's. Oxford is historical: her architecture is sediments of bygone times, without brashness that you would find in Hong Kong. Kyoto is leisurely: the sky and clouds have space to relax and breathe above her small houses, so unlike Hong Kong, where tall towers cut the sky into pieces.

Except Hong Kong. Her scents are no simpler or more complex than Hong Kong herself. She is neither older nor younger than Hong Kong. Her buildings are neither taller nor shorter than Hong Kong's. For me, Hong Kong is the anchor point, the origin (0,0) of the coordinates upon which I place all cities. She is ground zero which no word could describe. I saw the pretentious skyscrapers that she shows outsiders, as well as the verdant fields and scenic rock formations that she carefully keeps in modest corners. I saw her vibrant luminous bars in the small hours. I saw her tiny dim rental cells. I saw corrupt people, irresponsible people; I saw humanoid tape recorders, with and without power; I also saw people who defended themselves with open umbrellas in the face of teargas. I have seen too many details to grasp her essence: I cannot find a single shallow distortive adjective to qualify Hong Kong.

I live with this city. Every day, I trace her veins, walk her contours and passageways, and try to comprehend her machinations and thoughts. In this city that never sleeps, I dream and I wake up, but my eyes do not see, for love is blind... Of the innumerable cities in all possible worlds, Hong Kong alone is the city I will never see.

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穆琳原文：

你問任何我對任何曾造訪的城市的看法，我都能馬上回答。台北是細膩的城市，她的氣味層次比香港豐富得多。牛津是古色古香的城市，她每一座建築物都沉積著歷史，不似香港那般浮躁。京都是悠閒的城市，她的房子矮矮的，藍天和白雲有空間舒展，呼吸，不像香港老用高樓把天空割成一塊塊。

可是我不能回答你香港是怎樣的城市。香港的氣味不會比香港複雜或簡單，香港的古蹟不會比香港多或少，香港的房子不會比香港高或矮，香港是錨點，是我裁判一座城市的座標（0,0），我無法用任何詞語描述原點。我見過她面對外人故作姿態的高樓華厦，見過她仔細收藏於犄角旮旯的農田奇石；見過她凌晨三點猶自燈紅酒綠的酒吧，見過她狹窄陰暗無天日的劏房；見過貪污的人，瀆職的人，當人肉錄音機或者停電的人肉錄音機的人，也見過對著催淚彈打開雨傘的人。我見過太多枝節，以致我無法掌握主幹，無法以淺薄失真的單一一個形容詞描述香港。 

我與這座城市共同生活。每天，我描繪她的肌理，遊走她的起伏之上與甬道之中，嘗試了解她的機關與巧思；在這座永不合眼的城市中，我有時夢著，有時醒著，卻永遠有目不能視，因為愛情是盲目的⋯⋯三千世界數之不盡的城市中，唯有香港是那座我看不見的城。

連結