《你们不知道爱情是什么》（某夜听查尔斯·布可夫斯基演讲）《You Don't Know What Love Is 》（An Evening With Charles Bukowski）是“肮脏现实主义”雷蒙德·卡佛(Raymond Carver)最长的一首诗。该诗取材于一场1972年的文学讲座，主讲人是查尔斯·布可夫斯基(Charles Bukowski)——曾被他视为“英雄”的作家。

You Don't Know What Love Is

(an evening with Charles Bukowski)

by:Raymond Carver

You don't know what love is Bukowski said

I'm 51 years old look at me

I'm in love with this young broad

I got it bad but she's hung up too

so it's all right man that's the way it should be

I get in their blood and they can't get me out

They try everything to get away from me

but they all come back in the end

They all came back to me except

the one I planted

I cried over that one

but I cried easy in those days

Don't let me get onto the hard stuff man

I get mean then

I could sit here and drink beer

with you hippies all night

I could drink ten quarts of this beer

and nothing it's like water

But let me get onto the hard stuff

and I'll start throwing people out windows

I'll throw anybody out the window

I've done it

But you don't know what love is

You don't know because you've never

been in love it's that simple

I got this young broad see she's beautiful

She calls me Bukowski

Bukowski she says in this little voice

and I say What

But you don't know what love is

I'm telling you what it is

but you aren't listening

There isn't one of you in this room

would recognize love if it stepped up

and buggered you in the ass

I used to think poetry readings were a copout

Look I'm 51 years old and I've been around

I know they're a copout

but I said to myself Bukowski

starving is even more of a copout

So there you are and nothing is like it should be

That fellow what's his name Galway Kinnell

I saw his picture in a magazine

He has a handsome mug on him

but he's a teacher

Christ can you imagine

But then you're teachers too

here I am insulting you already

No I haven't heard of him

or him either

They're all termites

Maybe it's ego I don't read much anymore

but these people who build

reputations on five or six books

termites

Bukowski she says

Why do you listen to classical music all day

Can't you hear her saying that

Bukowski why do you listen to classical music all day

That surprises you doesn't it

You wouldn't think a crude bastard like me

could listen to classical music all day

Brahms Rachmaninoff Bartok Telemann

Shit I couldn't write up here

Too quiet up here too many trees

I like the city that's the place for me

I put on my classical music each morning

and sit down in front of my typewriter

I light a cigar and I smoke it like this see

and I say Bukowski you're a lucky man

Bukowski you've gone through it all

and you're a lucky man

and the blue smoke drifts across the table

and I look out the window onto Delongpre Avenue

and I see people walking up and down the sidewalk

and I puff on the cigar like this

and then I lay the cigar in the ashtray like this and take a deep breath

and I begin to write

Bukowski this is the life I say

it's good to be poor it's good to have hemorrhoids

it's good to be in love

But you don't know what it's like

You don't know what it's like to be in love

If you could see her you'd know what I mean

She thought I'd come up here and get laid

She just knew it

She told me she knew it

Shit I'm 51 years old and she's 25

and we're in love and she's jealous

Jesus it's beautiful

she said she'd claw my eyes out if I came up here

and got laid

Now that's love for you

What do any of you know about it

Let me tell you something

I've met men in jail who had more style

than the people who hang around colleges

and go to poetry readings

They're bloodsuckers who come to see

if the poet's socks are dirty

or if he smells under the arms

Believe me I won't disappoint em

But I want you to remember this

there's only one poet in this room tonight

only one poet in this town tonight

maybe only one real poet in this country tonight

and that's me

What do any of you know about life

What do any of you know about anything

Which of you here has been fired from a job

or else has beaten up your broad

or else has been beaten up by your broad

I was fired from Sears and Roebuck five times

They'd fire me then hire me back again

I was a stockboy for them when I was 35

and then got canned for stealing cookies

I know what's it like I've been there

I'm 51 years old now and I'm in love

This little broad she says

Bukowski

and I say What and she says

I think you're full of shit

and I say baby you understand me

She's the only broad in the world

man or woman

I'd take that from

But you don't know what love is

They all came back to me in the end too

every one of em came back

except that one I told you about

the one I planted We were together seven years

We used to drink a lot

I see a couple of typers in this room but

I don't see any poets

I'm not surprised

You have to have been in love to write poetry

and you don't know what it is to be in love

that's your trouble

Give me some of that stuff

That's right no ice good

That's good that's just fine

So let's get this show on the road

I know what I said but I'll have just one

That tastes good

Okay then let's go let's get this over with

only afterwards don't anyone stand close

to an open window

你们不知道爱情是什么

（某夜听查尔斯·布可夫斯基演讲）

翻译：黍黎释

你们不知道爱情是什么，布可夫斯基说。

瞧我都五十一岁了

我爱上了这样一个小娘们

我常乐而忘返她常耿耿于怀

你们知道这我已习以为常了

我爱她们深蚀骨髓她们却见异思迁

她们想尽办法离开我

最后都回到我身边

除了我甩掉的那一个

她们都回到我身边

为她我曾泣不成声

那时我动不动就想哭

你们别再让我喝烈酒了

我会不能自已的

我能坐在这儿喝着啤酒

整夜和你们畅谈

我能喝十夸脱这样的啤酒

跟水一样，喝完半点事没有

谁再让我喝烈酒

我将把他扔到窗外

不管是谁

我曾干过这事的

那是你们不知道爱情是什么

你们不知道，那是因为你们没爱过

就是这么简单

我爱的这个小娘们长得漂亮

常叫我布可夫斯基

布可夫斯基，她低声细语

我说干嘛啊

你们不知道爱情是什么

我就告诉你们爱情是什么

但你们听不进去

这屋子里没一个人想听

你们认为爱情就是冲上去

像同性恋一样搞她们的屁股

过去我认为读诗是一种羞耻

瞧我都五十一岁了，也见过世面了

我知道他们也是这种德性

我经常扪心自问:布可夫斯基

比起他们，挨饿更是一种羞耻

因此在座的各位，他们没啥可喜欢的

尤其是那个叫高尔韦·金内尔家伙

我在杂志上见过他

长着一张英俊的脸

而且他还是个老师

天啊你们可以想象

如果你们也是老师

我侮辱过你们

我没听过他

以及关于他的一切

他们全都是白蚁

也许是我自负，我没读过他们的诗

但是这些人凭着五六本诗集

而小有名堂

真是一群白蚁啊

布可夫斯基，她问我

为什么你整天听古典音乐

你们听她说过没：“布可夫斯基，为什么你整天听古典音乐”

这是不是让你们感到吃惊

你们是否认为像我这样的混蛋

不该整天听古典音乐

勃拉姆斯、拉赫玛尼诺夫、巴托克、泰勒曼

妈的，在这里我真无法安心写作

这里树太多安静的可怕

我喜欢呆在城市那里适合我

每早坐在打字机前放着古典音乐

像现在这样点支雪茄抽起来

我说布可夫斯基，你是个幸运儿

布可夫斯基你所有事都能逢凶化吉

你是个幸运儿

烟雾在桌子上袅袅升腾

透过窗户望着德隆普雷大街

看街上来往的人群

像这样吐着烟雾

然后像这样把烟蒂放进烟灰缸

深吸一口气开始写作

布可夫斯基，这就是我的生活方式

贫穷也好，痔疮也罢

还有爱情

但你们不知道什么是喜欢

你们不知道从喜欢转变成爱情

如果你们见到她，你就知道我说的意思了

她认为我来这里跟人上床

她就想这点破事

她告诉过我，她想的就是这点破事

妈的，我五十一岁了，她才二十五岁

我们在相爱，她还在吃醋

天啊，那是相当的美妙

她说如果再来这里和别人上床

她就把她眼珠子挖出来

这就是所谓的的爱情

你们有谁知道这些

告诉你们个事吧

我在监狱里遇见的犯人

比混大学的以及参加诗朗诵的人

更有风度

这些人就是一群寄生虫

来看诗人袜子是不是很脏

腋下是不是狐臭

天啊，我对他们相当失望

但我想让你们记住这些

今晚这个房间里只有一位诗人

今晚这个镇上只有一位诗人

今晚也许这个国家只有一位真正的诗人

那就是我

你们有谁知道什么是生活

你们有谁知道关于我的一切

你们有谁工作中被炒掉过

或者揍过你们的娘们

以及被娘们揍过

在西尔斯·罗巴克我就被炒过五次

他们一次次的把我炒掉

又一次次的再雇佣我

三十五岁那年他们让我看门守货

我偷了罐饼干

我知道那种滋味，因为我经历过

我五十一岁了且在爱恋中

这个小娘们叫我

布可夫斯基

我说干嘛啊

她说 我认为你满口胡言

我说 宝贝你懂我的

她是世上我见过最

独一无二的女人

我从爱情中找到灵感

你们不知道什么是爱情

她们最后都回到我身边

除了一个

都回到我身边，刚才我说过。

我深爱着她，我们在一起七年

我们经常喝好多酒

我看到屋里没有诗人

就几个打字员

我并不吃惊

写诗就得懂爱情

不懂爱情你们就麻烦了

给我倒点酒

对了不加冰的

太好了就是这种感觉

干一杯后面还有个派对呢

我知道我说过的话，我就喝一杯

喝着真爽

别站在窗边了

喝完咱们就走

《你们不知道爱情是什么》取材于一场1972年的文学讲座，主讲人是查尔斯·布可夫斯基(Charles Bukowski)——曾被他视为“英雄”的作家。这两位作家有很多相似之处：两人都曾挣扎于社会底层、生活一度潦倒，他们都既写小说也写诗，作品紧扣现实、文字风格简单直白，除此之外，两人都（至少曾经）是著名的酒鬼。卡佛的这首诗几乎完全由布可夫斯基天马行空的话语片段拼贴而成，诗中并没有具体提到讲座结束后的一个小型派对，但当时的场面在卡佛的传记中有所记载：“人们看见布可夫斯基喝着各种各样的酒，他抱怨、吹牛、咒骂；很快，随着他醉得越来越厉害，他抓住那些女孩子，用他那张胡子拉碴的脸去亲她们的脸，女孩子们尖叫着跑出屋子”。

雷蒙德·卡佛是所谓“极简派”的美国小说家，作品以短篇小说和诗歌为主。小说内容多是美国中产阶级的不幸婚姻、酗酒殇情等，诗歌有些很有意思的小情诗。写作手法上喜欢大段留白，刻画几个冷峻瞬间后戛然而止，让读者自己补完，属于美国短篇小说技法里引导读者情绪的一派，给人留下了很深的印象，也是他鲜明的个人风格。