The Ant’s Plunder
~Xi Chuan, translated by Lucas Klein
蚂蚁劫
在我伸手去抓那个铁门把的时候，一只伏在门把上的蚂蚁狠狠扎了我的右手食
指。我不知它是用它的小钳子刺了我一下，还是用它的嘴咬了我一口。我不知
它哪儿来那么大的力量。
在一瞬间，它把自己整个变成了一件武器。我疼得高声叫骂，叫骂一只长约1.5
厘米的既不算罕见也不算常见的蚂蚁。这可能是它一生所能取得的最高成就：
叫一个人因它而疼痛。
仿佛灯泡里挑着的钨丝，蚂蚁的六条细腿适合它的存在。它的身体，前半段明
黄，后半段棕色，饱含汁水，像两颗水滴焊接在一起。
两颗水滴焊接在一起就有了生命意志，这生命意志就生出了蚂蚁举在头前的一
对小钳子。无论蚂蚁还是螃蟹，都使用这样的小钳子，只是型号大小各不相同。
我仔细观察这只蚂蚁，忍着刺痛。
在一阵深深的刺痛中我和一只蚂蚁相遇。海德格尔所说―人与世界的相遇‖，没
想到会以这样一种方式发生在我和蚂蚁之间。这只蚂蚁活着就要扎我一次；我
活着就要因它而叫骂一回。
我生命的弧线弯到了它生命的弧线上，有点意思。弄死它吗？很容易。但它吃
准了我不会弄死它。它迅速爬走，一付慌张的模样，同时假装对我的叫骂一无
所知。
The Ant’s Plunder
When I stuck out my hand to grab the iron door handle, a hidden ant attacked my right
index finger. I don’t know if it pinched me with its pincers or bit me with its mouth. I
don’t know how it got so strong.
In an instant, it turned itself into a weapon. The pain was so great that I cursed this
neither common nor rare 1.5–centimeter long ant. This may be the greatest
achievement of its life: to cause a man such piercing pain.
Like the filament of a light bulb, the six legs of an ant befit its existence. Its body,
bright yellow in front and brown in back, is filled with liquid, like two water droplets
fused together.
Two water droplets fused together to produce a will to live, a will to live that produces
the pincers protruding from the ant’s head. The ant and the crab both use pincers,
whose only difference is their size.
In stabbing pain, I examine this ant.
In the throbs of pain the ant and I encounter each other. I never thought ―the encounter
between Man and World‖ of which Heidegger spoke would find form between me and
ant. This ant lives to sting me; I live to curse it in pain.
The arc of my life hooks onto the arc of its life, which is kind of significant. Kill it? Easy. But it
knew I couldn’t. It scurried away, flustered, pretending to ignore my curses.
