The Sea of Clouds
It is not about holding and letting go any more,
and I do not even care about how much time has flown between us.
Lucky sight-seers can always see the sea of clouds,
and they outnumbered themselves when they climbed the mountain.
The dazzling clouds that a younger me admired and touched
on the mountaintop had many names and forms,
and now they are clouds, flying low in my mindscape.
They had their days, their libertine tentacles blooming,
so bold and clear, so ingenuous and unartful, they swelled up,
and the closest one was lost in its whiteness.
An awesome fear that I could never have imagined
came like a beauty, tangible before I called out a name
to make sure the one standing by me was still there,
but with the sea of clouds something was gone forever.
云海
不再与抓紧或放手有关了，我甚至
不在乎已有多少时间从我们之间流过。
幸运的观景者总能看到云海，
他们爬山，数量超过了他们自己。
炫目的云曾令年轻时的我惊叹，在山顶
我也触摸过，它们有很多的名字与形状，
如今它们是云，在我心灵的风景中低飞。
它们也有当年之勇，放浪形骸的触须
如花盛开，爽朗，干净，毫无心机，
它们涌上来，于是最近的人就消失于一片白色。
一种我从未敢想象过的恐惧降临，那么慑人，
犹如一种美，在我喊出一个名字之前那么真切；
还没来得及确认站在身边的人是否还在，
有一种东西就已经永远随着云海的来去消失了。
2011年11月8日夜
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Monday, October 24, 2011
Fan Jinghua: Fragment
Fragment
(After Raymond Carver)
Did you hold in your heart
What you’ve desired for your life,
Without distortions?
No, I didn’t.
And what did you distort?
All but the easy flow of life,
And they have been zigzagging beneath a stony mountain.
How did people say?
Oh, they like those pools with bubbles rising from the depth
And the dazzling sunlight on the surface.
Oct. 14-15, 2011
断章
（仿雷蒙德- 卡佛）
你心中暗藏了
一生的欲求
而毫无扭曲吗？
不是的。
你扭曲了什么？
除了人生的自然流淌外，
一切都在一座山下扭着之字。
人们说了什么？
哦，他们喜欢那些潭水从深处冒出气泡，
还有水面上的阳光摇曳。
2011年10月15日
(After Raymond Carver)
Did you hold in your heart
What you’ve desired for your life,
Without distortions?
No, I didn’t.
And what did you distort?
All but the easy flow of life,
And they have been zigzagging beneath a stony mountain.
How did people say?
Oh, they like those pools with bubbles rising from the depth
And the dazzling sunlight on the surface.
Oct. 14-15, 2011
断章
（仿雷蒙德- 卡佛）
你心中暗藏了
一生的欲求
而毫无扭曲吗？
不是的。
你扭曲了什么？
除了人生的自然流淌外，
一切都在一座山下扭着之字。
人们说了什么？
哦，他们喜欢那些潭水从深处冒出气泡，
还有水面上的阳光摇曳。
2011年10月15日
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Fan Jinghua: Then
Then
In due time, they sat down, face to face
And for a moment they both looked
Outside the window
The teapot was refilled once more
And then it was left unrenewed, and untouched, and became lukewarm
And then there was what it followed
That is, they rose and went, one behind another, and respectively
They took their own bus
They did not hold hands, therefore there was
No separation, and till today he still remembers
How she…
March 2010
后来
然后，他们坐了下来，面对面
还在某个时候同时
望了望窗外
茶壶，续了一次后，没有再续，没有再碰，就变得温吞
后来，就是接下去的样子
就是说，他们起身离开，一个在前一个在后，然后各自
乘自己的公车
没有拉手，所以也就没有
分手，至今他还记得
她……
2010年3月原作
In due time, they sat down, face to face
And for a moment they both looked
Outside the window
The teapot was refilled once more
And then it was left unrenewed, and untouched, and became lukewarm
And then there was what it followed
That is, they rose and went, one behind another, and respectively
They took their own bus
They did not hold hands, therefore there was
No separation, and till today he still remembers
How she…
March 2010
后来
然后，他们坐了下来，面对面
还在某个时候同时
望了望窗外
茶壶，续了一次后，没有再续，没有再碰，就变得温吞
后来，就是接下去的样子
就是说，他们起身离开，一个在前一个在后，然后各自
乘自己的公车
没有拉手，所以也就没有
分手，至今他还记得
她……
2010年3月原作
Fan Jinghua: A Moment of Eternity
A Moment of Eternity
[To Someone]
A moment is a rubber band, and by moment only,
Many moments are stretched, tense and translucent,
Superimposing themselves over time,
While space is tightened and thickened, between us.
On the stretches of the sand that girdle a South Pacific island,
Small washed-away flowers of pale orange
Float back to reclaim the existential equilibrium
Between claw-prints and wave-teeth.
Yes, birds from Siberia come and go
Fluttering the same pairs of wings.
Who would be so bored as to discern the color difference
Between the tail-wind and head-wind flight?
Only you and I are still hoping to set our bare feet
On the vibrating chest of the ocean, asking for a tune.
Feb. 28, 2010
[To Someone]
A moment is a rubber band, and by moment only,
Many moments are stretched, tense and translucent,
Superimposing themselves over time,
While space is tightened and thickened, between us.
On the stretches of the sand that girdle a South Pacific island,
Small washed-away flowers of pale orange
Float back to reclaim the existential equilibrium
Between claw-prints and wave-teeth.
Yes, birds from Siberia come and go
Fluttering the same pairs of wings.
Who would be so bored as to discern the color difference
Between the tail-wind and head-wind flight?
Only you and I are still hoping to set our bare feet
On the vibrating chest of the ocean, asking for a tune.
Feb. 28, 2010
Sunday, June 5, 2011
YUAN Mei: 3 Poems
Impromptu (An Incidental Poem)
When a mind has a thing to rest on, it is constantly calm;
Flavors last longest if they are not sought after.
A child tries to snap the fluff of willows,
It matters nothing if he does not catch anything.
偶成
有寄心常静，无求味最长。
儿童擒柳絮，不得也何妨！
Moss
Where sunlight does not reach,
Moss chooses to settle down.
Its flowers tiny as grains of rice
Learn to bloom like peonies.
苔
白日不到处，青春恰自来。
苔花如米小，也学牡丹开。
Sighted (What Enters my Eyes)
A cowherd riding a yellow cow,
The woods echo with his tunes.
Suddenly, he stands still, silent,
For he wants to catch a cicada.
所见
牧童骑黄牛，歌声振林樾。
意欲捕鸣蝉，忽然闭口立。
When a mind has a thing to rest on, it is constantly calm;
Flavors last longest if they are not sought after.
A child tries to snap the fluff of willows,
It matters nothing if he does not catch anything.
偶成
有寄心常静，无求味最长。
儿童擒柳絮，不得也何妨！
Moss
Where sunlight does not reach,
Moss chooses to settle down.
Its flowers tiny as grains of rice
Learn to bloom like peonies.
苔
白日不到处，青春恰自来。
苔花如米小，也学牡丹开。
Sighted (What Enters my Eyes)
A cowherd riding a yellow cow,
The woods echo with his tunes.
Suddenly, he stands still, silent,
For he wants to catch a cicada.
所见
牧童骑黄牛，歌声振林樾。
意欲捕鸣蝉，忽然闭口立。
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Fan Jinghua: Deceitful
Deceitful
How sad the changes have not taken place
Despite our heartbeats surge for so many seasons.
People have learned to change paces, and nowadays
They can walk stately by rivers and hover over ragged roads,
And automatically they streamline their staccato steps.
There is wisdom in keeping feet dry when walking the sea-breeze,
And every little thing can turn into a fetish through touch and gaze,
If we choose not to put it into the two and two of big questions.
Dreams are too selfish, though; so let’s look up to clouds.
They are trailing out there in the evening sky for the moment,
Easygoing and unflappable, unrolling their colours and shades.
It is beauty that a day ends like this, and it is good that you are
Entranced by the sight; is it a virtue that I put you into perspective?
Still, it’s sad the changes have not taken place as we desired, isn’t it?
2011-05-15
可欺
多么悲伤啊，变化从未发生在可以触及的地方，
而心跳如潮涌，过了一个又一个季节。
人们已学会调整步伐和姿态，在水边时
那么庄重，在坎坷的路面上又能悬浮起来，
自动地将断奏似的脚步连成一条流线。
走在海滩上还能双脚干爽，这无疑是一种智慧，
而假若小事不放到两两相关的大问题之间，
每一件俗物都值得赏玩和凝视。
不过，梦似乎有点自私，所以我们还是看云吧。
看，它们缓行于黄昏的天空，那么随和自若，
为了此刻，展示内在的色彩和色调。
一天如此结束，是美；你被此情此景迷住，是善；
而我将你的背影置入大大的背景中，是美德吗？
我们欲求的变化未能发生，这仍然是悲伤吧？
2011年5月15日
Today is the 22th anniversary of June 4 Tiananmen 1989
How sad the changes have not taken place
Despite our heartbeats surge for so many seasons.
People have learned to change paces, and nowadays
They can walk stately by rivers and hover over ragged roads,
And automatically they streamline their staccato steps.
There is wisdom in keeping feet dry when walking the sea-breeze,
And every little thing can turn into a fetish through touch and gaze,
If we choose not to put it into the two and two of big questions.
Dreams are too selfish, though; so let’s look up to clouds.
They are trailing out there in the evening sky for the moment,
Easygoing and unflappable, unrolling their colours and shades.
It is beauty that a day ends like this, and it is good that you are
Entranced by the sight; is it a virtue that I put you into perspective?
Still, it’s sad the changes have not taken place as we desired, isn’t it?
2011-05-15
可欺
多么悲伤啊，变化从未发生在可以触及的地方，
而心跳如潮涌，过了一个又一个季节。
人们已学会调整步伐和姿态，在水边时
那么庄重，在坎坷的路面上又能悬浮起来，
自动地将断奏似的脚步连成一条流线。
走在海滩上还能双脚干爽，这无疑是一种智慧，
而假若小事不放到两两相关的大问题之间，
每一件俗物都值得赏玩和凝视。
不过，梦似乎有点自私，所以我们还是看云吧。
看，它们缓行于黄昏的天空，那么随和自若，
为了此刻，展示内在的色彩和色调。
一天如此结束，是美；你被此情此景迷住，是善；
而我将你的背影置入大大的背景中，是美德吗？
我们欲求的变化未能发生，这仍然是悲伤吧？
2011年5月15日
Today is the 22th anniversary of June 4 Tiananmen 1989
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Fan Jinghua: Spent
Spent
On the lotus leave, naked mercury
Rolls down from the huge green slope, polishing
The belly button of the small universe
A drop of coolness balances on the column head
Like a porcelain placenta opening to the above
It is not yet sacrificed to the love-shaped dragonflies
The sun throws out its poisonous rays
At the sinews of petals, and they suddenly let loose
Of their clutches on the ovary
And the dim water receives a fleet of colourful boats
May 21, 2011
落
荷叶上，赤裸的水银
从绿坡上滚落，将小宇宙的肚脐
抛光成一枚钮扣
一滴凉爽凝结在那挺拔的柱顶
瓷厚地压紧一盘向上的敞开
还没有被人类奉献
给蜻蜓的爱心，阳光的荼毒
刺扎花瓣之根，忽然的松开
幽暗的水面平添一排彩舟
2011-5-21
On the lotus leave, naked mercury
Rolls down from the huge green slope, polishing
The belly button of the small universe
A drop of coolness balances on the column head
Like a porcelain placenta opening to the above
It is not yet sacrificed to the love-shaped dragonflies
The sun throws out its poisonous rays
At the sinews of petals, and they suddenly let loose
Of their clutches on the ovary
And the dim water receives a fleet of colourful boats
May 21, 2011
落
荷叶上，赤裸的水银
从绿坡上滚落，将小宇宙的肚脐
抛光成一枚钮扣
一滴凉爽凝结在那挺拔的柱顶
瓷厚地压紧一盘向上的敞开
还没有被人类奉献
给蜻蜓的爱心，阳光的荼毒
刺扎花瓣之根，忽然的松开
幽暗的水面平添一排彩舟
2011-5-21
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Fan Jinghus: Seaside
Seaside
The sun’s poison is still strong
When people are half awake to the stupor of a nap
At the end of the scaling alley stands a broad-leave tree
Thick breaths roll over the dam
And the busiest eyes will cast a look into the direction of sounds
Where holiday makers look like small crabs with whitish shells
The beach arches into an expanse of infinity
Vaster than imagination, making imagination empty
Rocks seem to sink deeper, but is there anyone who can tell why
May 15, 2011
海滨
当人们半醒于午睡的瘫软中
阳光的余毒正强劲
小街斜坡的尽头，站着一棵阔叶的树
粗重的呼吸从海堤下翻滚过来
最匆忙的人也会循声一望
度假的人犹如小螃蟹驮着泛白的壳
而沙滩一扭身就无边无际了
比想象更加空旷，令想象忽然空旷
那些岩石似乎陷得更深了，那是因为什么
2011-05-15
The sun’s poison is still strong
When people are half awake to the stupor of a nap
At the end of the scaling alley stands a broad-leave tree
Thick breaths roll over the dam
And the busiest eyes will cast a look into the direction of sounds
Where holiday makers look like small crabs with whitish shells
The beach arches into an expanse of infinity
Vaster than imagination, making imagination empty
Rocks seem to sink deeper, but is there anyone who can tell why
May 15, 2011
海滨
当人们半醒于午睡的瘫软中
阳光的余毒正强劲
小街斜坡的尽头，站着一棵阔叶的树
粗重的呼吸从海堤下翻滚过来
最匆忙的人也会循声一望
度假的人犹如小螃蟹驮着泛白的壳
而沙滩一扭身就无边无际了
比想象更加空旷，令想象忽然空旷
那些岩石似乎陷得更深了，那是因为什么
2011-05-15
Monday, May 9, 2011
Fan Jinghua: Making Sentences with Prepositions
Making Sentences with Prepositions
I sit by a desk, facing a white wall in a small room.
I am at home.
The sunrays are outside my window.
A group of boys are playing football on the green field across the residential quarter.
When I am not writing, I look up from the desk and look down at them running in the grass.
I know there are always people in the building beyond the green lot, although I can not see through the blue glass wall.
There must be people looking down at the players, whether I am looking or not.
I am not in the opposite building.
On Saturdays, many people go into that building, reading in the public library.
There are a boy and a girl now sitting at two sides of one of the long reading tables, separated by a frosted glass.
On each side of the glass there is a notice that reads “Please keep quiet.”
The warnings are stuck on the same position of the glass, as if they are one piece of paper with two faces to two directions like Janus.
The boy and the girl are each reading a book at the same table, not knowing what the other is reading.
Most of these are what I see when I am sitting by desk, and some are added on the basis of what I have seen.
I am still by the desk, at home, as this Saturday is going by with the sunrays,
May 8, 2011
用“在”字造句
我坐在桌前，在小房间里，对着一堵白墙。
我在家。
阳光在我的窗外。
一群大男孩在小区对面的草地上。
他们在踢球。
我不在写字的时候，我抬起头，低头看着他们在草地上追跑。
我知道总还有一些人在绿地那一边的楼里，不过我看不穿那蓝色的玻璃墙。
无论我是否在看，他们中肯定有些人也在看那些人踢球。
我不在对面的楼里。
在星期六，许多人会走进那座楼，在公共图书馆里阅读。
他们坐在那些长长的桌子两边，长桌中间隔着一块毛玻璃。
一个男孩和一个女孩坐在这样的一张桌子两边，被一块毛玻璃分开。
在玻璃的每一面，都贴着一张字条，上面写着“请保持安静”。
那两张告示贴在同一个位置，好像是同一张纸条，有两张脸，向着两个方向。
那男孩和那女孩在同一张桌子旁读书，不知道对方在读什么。
这些大多是我坐在桌前看到的，有一些是我在看到的基础上添加的。
我还在桌前，在家，周六正在随阳光消逝。
2011年5月8-9日
I sit by a desk, facing a white wall in a small room.
I am at home.
The sunrays are outside my window.
A group of boys are playing football on the green field across the residential quarter.
When I am not writing, I look up from the desk and look down at them running in the grass.
I know there are always people in the building beyond the green lot, although I can not see through the blue glass wall.
There must be people looking down at the players, whether I am looking or not.
I am not in the opposite building.
On Saturdays, many people go into that building, reading in the public library.
There are a boy and a girl now sitting at two sides of one of the long reading tables, separated by a frosted glass.
On each side of the glass there is a notice that reads “Please keep quiet.”
The warnings are stuck on the same position of the glass, as if they are one piece of paper with two faces to two directions like Janus.
The boy and the girl are each reading a book at the same table, not knowing what the other is reading.
Most of these are what I see when I am sitting by desk, and some are added on the basis of what I have seen.
I am still by the desk, at home, as this Saturday is going by with the sunrays,
May 8, 2011
用“在”字造句
我坐在桌前，在小房间里，对着一堵白墙。
我在家。
阳光在我的窗外。
一群大男孩在小区对面的草地上。
他们在踢球。
我不在写字的时候，我抬起头，低头看着他们在草地上追跑。
我知道总还有一些人在绿地那一边的楼里，不过我看不穿那蓝色的玻璃墙。
无论我是否在看，他们中肯定有些人也在看那些人踢球。
我不在对面的楼里。
在星期六，许多人会走进那座楼，在公共图书馆里阅读。
他们坐在那些长长的桌子两边，长桌中间隔着一块毛玻璃。
一个男孩和一个女孩坐在这样的一张桌子两边，被一块毛玻璃分开。
在玻璃的每一面，都贴着一张字条，上面写着“请保持安静”。
那两张告示贴在同一个位置，好像是同一张纸条，有两张脸，向着两个方向。
那男孩和那女孩在同一张桌子旁读书，不知道对方在读什么。
这些大多是我坐在桌前看到的，有一些是我在看到的基础上添加的。
我还在桌前，在家，周六正在随阳光消逝。
2011年5月8-9日
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Black Hole
Black Hole
For X
Inverted Babel, words interject into each other
Along the descending course, and radii of meaning intersect
No light, understanding takes place in darkness and becomes darkness
This is not a rabbit hole. No point turning your head
For marrow has long ceased dripping from the end of our spine
There is no free fall here, no balls
And we crawl, clicking to the cragged wall of the hole
Praising the body that glitters in memory
The union and pleasure that are almost perfected in imagination
And the bliss that makes us feel the eternal breeze over time’s tributary
Now, the present comprises of the past only, and the past has been filled
Only with the future, but have we reached that moment already?
In this black tunnel, my voice is all that is left of me, and you hear it
You take in my pervasion, my persistent resignation, through the soul’s membrane
2011-05-03
黑洞
致X
倒垂的通天塔，语言在伸向深渊的途中
彼此插话，意思的半径开始交叠
没有光，理解在黑暗中，成为黑暗
这不是兔子洞，回头失去了意义
骨髓早已不再从我们的尾骨滴出
胆量，这里没有自由落体的球
我们吸附在嶙峋的石壁上
爬着，赞美记忆中闪烁的身体
以及想象很久才臻于完美的交融及欢愉
那福分令我们相信时间支流的岸上春风永远醉人
如今，现在只有过去，而过去曾一直充满着将来
此刻我们已经抵达那个时辰了吗
在这个黑隧道中，我的声音就是我的全部，你听到了
我的弥散，我执着的放弃，我的融入，透过灵魂的过滤膜
2011-05-03
For X
Inverted Babel, words interject into each other
Along the descending course, and radii of meaning intersect
No light, understanding takes place in darkness and becomes darkness
This is not a rabbit hole. No point turning your head
For marrow has long ceased dripping from the end of our spine
There is no free fall here, no balls
And we crawl, clicking to the cragged wall of the hole
Praising the body that glitters in memory
The union and pleasure that are almost perfected in imagination
And the bliss that makes us feel the eternal breeze over time’s tributary
Now, the present comprises of the past only, and the past has been filled
Only with the future, but have we reached that moment already?
In this black tunnel, my voice is all that is left of me, and you hear it
You take in my pervasion, my persistent resignation, through the soul’s membrane
2011-05-03
黑洞
致X
倒垂的通天塔，语言在伸向深渊的途中
彼此插话，意思的半径开始交叠
没有光，理解在黑暗中，成为黑暗
这不是兔子洞，回头失去了意义
骨髓早已不再从我们的尾骨滴出
胆量，这里没有自由落体的球
我们吸附在嶙峋的石壁上
爬着，赞美记忆中闪烁的身体
以及想象很久才臻于完美的交融及欢愉
那福分令我们相信时间支流的岸上春风永远醉人
如今，现在只有过去，而过去曾一直充满着将来
此刻我们已经抵达那个时辰了吗
在这个黑隧道中，我的声音就是我的全部，你听到了
我的弥散，我执着的放弃，我的融入，透过灵魂的过滤膜
2011-05-03
A Boulder on the Riverbed
A Boulder on the Riverbed
For Cheng Ying
A boulder is there on the riverbed, simplistic and plain
As sunrays fall down from the cliffs of clouds to scan it
It’s a matter of seconds, but even today it has been there
For more than half a day already; and it shows nothing
No expression of a still-water heart at the unchanging flow
Nor inner disturbance at the sun's fickle sports with clouds
The passer-by, if not going down there to touch it or kick it, will learn
To accept that its solitude is warm or cold solely for its own sake
A boulder on the riverbed is there, not for those drifting on the water
Nor for the vagabonds in search for a shelter on the earth
Whoever is intent on flowers and fruits won’t recognize the veins of stone
A boulder has a weight unknown to anyone, without gain or loss after birth
But everyone is free to attribute a growing awareness to it, as if it’s always had
The awareness that other boulders exist in sight at different distances
2011-05-02
河床上的大石头
（致成婴）
河床上有一块大石头，简朴，素白
阳光的瀑布从云的悬崖上泻下，扫描它
只是几秒钟的事，可今天，它就一直在那儿
已经半天多了，没显露任何表情
没因为流水不变的沉着而心如止水
没因为太阳与云朵亵戏而内心焦灼
经过的人若不去触摸或用脚踢踢，就得学会
接受，它的孤独是冷是暖，都只属于它自己
河床上的石头在河床上，不是为了弄潮逐水的人
不是为了在大地上寻求栖身之所的流浪者
谁执着于开花与结果，就注定认不出石头的纹脉
石头自有重量，不为人知，从出生就未曾增减
人人都可随意给它注入一种意识，犹如一直生长在它内部
意识到其它石头的存在，在视野之内，不同的距离
2011-05-03
For Cheng Ying
A boulder is there on the riverbed, simplistic and plain
As sunrays fall down from the cliffs of clouds to scan it
It’s a matter of seconds, but even today it has been there
For more than half a day already; and it shows nothing
No expression of a still-water heart at the unchanging flow
Nor inner disturbance at the sun's fickle sports with clouds
The passer-by, if not going down there to touch it or kick it, will learn
To accept that its solitude is warm or cold solely for its own sake
A boulder on the riverbed is there, not for those drifting on the water
Nor for the vagabonds in search for a shelter on the earth
Whoever is intent on flowers and fruits won’t recognize the veins of stone
A boulder has a weight unknown to anyone, without gain or loss after birth
But everyone is free to attribute a growing awareness to it, as if it’s always had
The awareness that other boulders exist in sight at different distances
2011-05-02
河床上的大石头
（致成婴）
河床上有一块大石头，简朴，素白
阳光的瀑布从云的悬崖上泻下，扫描它
只是几秒钟的事，可今天，它就一直在那儿
已经半天多了，没显露任何表情
没因为流水不变的沉着而心如止水
没因为太阳与云朵亵戏而内心焦灼
经过的人若不去触摸或用脚踢踢，就得学会
接受，它的孤独是冷是暖，都只属于它自己
河床上的石头在河床上，不是为了弄潮逐水的人
不是为了在大地上寻求栖身之所的流浪者
谁执着于开花与结果，就注定认不出石头的纹脉
石头自有重量，不为人知，从出生就未曾增减
人人都可随意给它注入一种意识，犹如一直生长在它内部
意识到其它石头的存在，在视野之内，不同的距离
2011-05-03
Backlighting
Backlighting
[To—]
In the light cast down
Through the corridor window
You stand
Gold-lined hair against a black treetop
I see you unbutton your lilac cardigan
Standing still and sending out a strong beckoning power
Me sleepwalking to you
Like an arrow toward the centre of a shallow focus photo
Going through the wall, stepping into the air
And I fall
You are sitting on a branch of that black tree
With a winged figure, smiling at the distant
Oh, the last shade in my eyes, the etherealness of my love
April 28, 2011
逆光
[致——]
走廊尽头的窗子
投下一方光柱
你站在其中
头发鎏金，背后是黑色的树冠
你解开丁香色的对襟毛衫
静立着，施放强烈的能量，召唤
我梦游向你
犹如一支箭航向一幅散景照的中心
穿过那堵墙，踏空
坠落
而你在那棵黑树的枝干上
与一个带翅的人形并坐，对着远方，微笑
哦，我眼中最后的影子，我爱的缥缈
2011年4月28日下午
[To—]
In the light cast down
Through the corridor window
You stand
Gold-lined hair against a black treetop
I see you unbutton your lilac cardigan
Standing still and sending out a strong beckoning power
Me sleepwalking to you
Like an arrow toward the centre of a shallow focus photo
Going through the wall, stepping into the air
And I fall
You are sitting on a branch of that black tree
With a winged figure, smiling at the distant
Oh, the last shade in my eyes, the etherealness of my love
April 28, 2011
逆光
[致——]
走廊尽头的窗子
投下一方光柱
你站在其中
头发鎏金，背后是黑色的树冠
你解开丁香色的对襟毛衫
静立着，施放强烈的能量，召唤
我梦游向你
犹如一支箭航向一幅散景照的中心
穿过那堵墙，踏空
坠落
而你在那棵黑树的枝干上
与一个带翅的人形并坐，对着远方，微笑
哦，我眼中最后的影子，我爱的缥缈
2011年4月28日下午
A Haiku for Japanese souls lost in tsunami
A Haiku for Japanese souls lost in tsunami
Never lit a joss-stick before
Today my hair washes the toes of Buddha
For the lost souls in the tsunami
从未烧过一枝香
今天我以头发洗濯佛脚
为了海啸的亡魂
Never lit a joss-stick before
Today my hair washes the toes of Buddha
For the lost souls in the tsunami
从未烧过一枝香
今天我以头发洗濯佛脚
为了海啸的亡魂
A Stolen Act in Three Scenes
A Stolen Act in Three Scenes
From a shoulder of an artificial hill among the pines
The full moon could be seen rising by a white pagoda
The park’s gate was already closed, and that was a stolen scene
In a dangerous corner in 1980s when patrolling guards
And hoodlums were active at nights of the first open-door years
A couple of days earlier on the campus, by a stone table under wisteria
His hand forced its way into her bra, and one by one
It cupped her younger-than-a-palm breasts and she gradually gave up
When his fingers reached her pubes, she suddenly collapsed
Letting loose the tautness of legs, and sobs and shivers welled up
Then she woke in his arms from stiffness to suppleness
At the gush of morning sun, he came on the stony ground by her hand
They parted repressed before a momentous turmoil boiled
And years later, she, divorced in another country, wrote about her feminine youth
“We did not do, we did not do
We rotated at the eye of revolution
And orgasmed at a young man’s rude touch
And then we escaped
The faith we were inculcated in the trinity
Of polygamy, patriarchy and monarchy
Is cancerous even in my recollection
When I write this poem today
All those lads have become half old men
In the country behind my back
Whose flaccid drives can no long do
What should have been done in the bold youth
But all men will wither into history
Maturing into intact eunuchs…”
March 27, 2011
偷来一幕三场
从松树丛中的假山肩头
可以看到月亮从白塔身侧冉冉升起
公园已经关了门，那是偷来的
风景，在八十年代一个危险的角落
巡夜者与流氓共存于开放之初的深夜
几天之前，在校园紫藤廊下的小石桌旁
他将一只手强行塞入她的胸衣，逐一
捂过那对不足一握的乳房
当他的手指抚摸到了她的阴阜，她突然决堤
双腿的紧绷溃消，抽泣与颤抖随之翻涌于周身
然后她的冰冷在他的怀中苏醒，从僵硬到柔软
朝阳喷薄时，他借她的手泄精于坚硬的地面
一场骚乱前，他们怀着抑郁各自离去
多年后，她皈依女性主义，在异国写她的青春
“我们没做，我们没做
我们在革命公转中自转
小毛头生硬的触摸就已高潮
然后胆怯地逃跑
我们一贯被灌输
一夫多妻、父权与帝王制的三位一体
时至今日我写着这首诗
它仍如癌细胞一般在回忆中扩散
那些青涩的小伙子都已
在我背后的国度变成半拉老头
他们欲望依旧而动力疲软
不再做年轻气盛时该做的事情
可是所有男人最终都要枯萎着
进入历史，成熟为完整的阉人……”
From a shoulder of an artificial hill among the pines
The full moon could be seen rising by a white pagoda
The park’s gate was already closed, and that was a stolen scene
In a dangerous corner in 1980s when patrolling guards
And hoodlums were active at nights of the first open-door years
A couple of days earlier on the campus, by a stone table under wisteria
His hand forced its way into her bra, and one by one
It cupped her younger-than-a-palm breasts and she gradually gave up
When his fingers reached her pubes, she suddenly collapsed
Letting loose the tautness of legs, and sobs and shivers welled up
Then she woke in his arms from stiffness to suppleness
At the gush of morning sun, he came on the stony ground by her hand
They parted repressed before a momentous turmoil boiled
And years later, she, divorced in another country, wrote about her feminine youth
“We did not do, we did not do
We rotated at the eye of revolution
And orgasmed at a young man’s rude touch
And then we escaped
The faith we were inculcated in the trinity
Of polygamy, patriarchy and monarchy
Is cancerous even in my recollection
When I write this poem today
All those lads have become half old men
In the country behind my back
Whose flaccid drives can no long do
What should have been done in the bold youth
But all men will wither into history
Maturing into intact eunuchs…”
March 27, 2011
偷来一幕三场
从松树丛中的假山肩头
可以看到月亮从白塔身侧冉冉升起
公园已经关了门，那是偷来的
风景，在八十年代一个危险的角落
巡夜者与流氓共存于开放之初的深夜
几天之前，在校园紫藤廊下的小石桌旁
他将一只手强行塞入她的胸衣，逐一
捂过那对不足一握的乳房
当他的手指抚摸到了她的阴阜，她突然决堤
双腿的紧绷溃消，抽泣与颤抖随之翻涌于周身
然后她的冰冷在他的怀中苏醒，从僵硬到柔软
朝阳喷薄时，他借她的手泄精于坚硬的地面
一场骚乱前，他们怀着抑郁各自离去
多年后，她皈依女性主义，在异国写她的青春
“我们没做，我们没做
我们在革命公转中自转
小毛头生硬的触摸就已高潮
然后胆怯地逃跑
我们一贯被灌输
一夫多妻、父权与帝王制的三位一体
时至今日我写着这首诗
它仍如癌细胞一般在回忆中扩散
那些青涩的小伙子都已
在我背后的国度变成半拉老头
他们欲望依旧而动力疲软
不再做年轻气盛时该做的事情
可是所有男人最终都要枯萎着
进入历史，成熟为完整的阉人……”
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Fan Jinghua: Memory of New York
Memory of New York
By the porchs of apartment houses along the drive
Snow from the day before yesterday heaps
White balls splash into sugar before and behind you
Their sound is so crystal clear
You are made to realize there must be a net above the tree branches
And winds have broken through it
Someone laughs behind you because a snow ball has hit you
On the head and shoulders
Strangers scattered in the alleys in the most supercilious city
Become so close when you walk alone
纽约记忆
车道两旁，公寓房的门口还有前天的积雪
雪团不时在你的前后摔碎
那声音说出白色的重量，犹如糖霜般明确
你这才意识到树枝在高处结着网
而微风似乎已经刮过
有人在你身后笑出声来
因为雪团击中你的头与肩
散落在街巷深处的陌生人如此亲切
当你独自走在世界最冷漠的都市
By the porchs of apartment houses along the drive
Snow from the day before yesterday heaps
White balls splash into sugar before and behind you
Their sound is so crystal clear
You are made to realize there must be a net above the tree branches
And winds have broken through it
Someone laughs behind you because a snow ball has hit you
On the head and shoulders
Strangers scattered in the alleys in the most supercilious city
Become so close when you walk alone
纽约记忆
车道两旁，公寓房的门口还有前天的积雪
雪团不时在你的前后摔碎
那声音说出白色的重量，犹如糖霜般明确
你这才意识到树枝在高处结着网
而微风似乎已经刮过
有人在你身后笑出声来
因为雪团击中你的头与肩
散落在街巷深处的陌生人如此亲切
当你独自走在世界最冷漠的都市
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Yuan Mei: Three Poems
Yuan Mei: Three Poems
Yuan Mei (1716-1799) was one of the few great poet scholars in Qing Dynasty that I love. Whenever poeple talk about Classical Chinese poetry, the names such as LI Po, DU Fu, Bo Juyi, Tao Yuanming, Su Shi would pop up into their minds, and for good reasons, too. For the dynasties that came after the greatest poem dynasty Tang, regulated verse appeared to be in the decline. However, the regulated poetry has always been the most respected genre in China, even with the popularity of lyrics (ci-poem) in Song Dynasty that followed Tang. Yuan Mei's poetry is sometimes very colloquial, and almost every object in the daily life could enter his poetry, such as chopsticks etc. He was influenced by Zen Buddhism, and the following poems may exemplify the point.
Passing by
Passing by the Green Creek, by chance,
Where spring water runs through the misty wilderness,
I noticed a fishing rod on the ground
And saw no one around.
偶过
偶过青溪上，濛濛野水春。
钓鱼竿在地，不见钓鱼人。
偶accidental 过pass by
偶accidental 过pass by青Green溪Creek上over
濛濛misty 野wide 水water 春spring
钓to fish with a hook鱼fish竿rod在 (be/exist) on地ground
不not 见see钓fishing鱼fishing 人man
Call on someone
That night, I tried to call on someone
in the mountain, under the thick moonlight.
I knocked on the gate,
no one seemed to be alarmed,
and only a crane answered.
访客
夜访山中客，濛濛月色凝。
敲门人未觉，仙鹤一声应。
访visit客guest
夜night访visit山mountain中amid客guest
濛濛misty月moon色color凝thickening
敲know门gate人man未not yet觉sense
仙immortal鹤crane一one 声sound应respond
The Window Pushed Open
All the night, rain and wind are charging hard,
And my brushwood door has been shut tight.
The mountain must have been missing me for too long,
For it pushes open the window, coming at my face.
推窗
连宵风雨恶，蓬户不轻开。
山似相思久，推窗扑面来。
推push窗window
连link宵night风wind雨rain恶evil
蓬brushwood户door不not轻easily开open
山mountain似seem相思miss/long for久long
推push窗window扑throw at面face来come
Yuan Mei (1716-1799) was one of the few great poet scholars in Qing Dynasty that I love. Whenever poeple talk about Classical Chinese poetry, the names such as LI Po, DU Fu, Bo Juyi, Tao Yuanming, Su Shi would pop up into their minds, and for good reasons, too. For the dynasties that came after the greatest poem dynasty Tang, regulated verse appeared to be in the decline. However, the regulated poetry has always been the most respected genre in China, even with the popularity of lyrics (ci-poem) in Song Dynasty that followed Tang. Yuan Mei's poetry is sometimes very colloquial, and almost every object in the daily life could enter his poetry, such as chopsticks etc. He was influenced by Zen Buddhism, and the following poems may exemplify the point.
Passing by
Passing by the Green Creek, by chance,
Where spring water runs through the misty wilderness,
I noticed a fishing rod on the ground
And saw no one around.
偶过
偶过青溪上，濛濛野水春。
钓鱼竿在地，不见钓鱼人。
偶accidental 过pass by
偶accidental 过pass by青Green溪Creek上over
濛濛misty 野wide 水water 春spring
钓to fish with a hook鱼fish竿rod在 (be/exist) on地ground
不not 见see钓fishing鱼fishing 人man
Call on someone
That night, I tried to call on someone
in the mountain, under the thick moonlight.
I knocked on the gate,
no one seemed to be alarmed,
and only a crane answered.
访客
夜访山中客，濛濛月色凝。
敲门人未觉，仙鹤一声应。
访visit客guest
夜night访visit山mountain中amid客guest
濛濛misty月moon色color凝thickening
敲know门gate人man未not yet觉sense
仙immortal鹤crane一one 声sound应respond
The Window Pushed Open
All the night, rain and wind are charging hard,
And my brushwood door has been shut tight.
The mountain must have been missing me for too long,
For it pushes open the window, coming at my face.
推窗
连宵风雨恶，蓬户不轻开。
山似相思久，推窗扑面来。
推push窗window
连link宵night风wind雨rain恶evil
蓬brushwood户door不not轻easily开open
山mountain似seem相思miss/long for久long
推push窗window扑throw at面face来come
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Cheng Ying: Memory
Cheng Ying: Memory
Memory
by Cheng Ying tr. Fan Jinghua
Old women, do they recollect in the same way?
I’ve spent too much time remembering,
Not solely because life is boringly long—
I bring forth to my offspring what has been engraved on my body,
And what’s been written by the body, I deliver once and again
Till it frees itself through nerve-ends. At midday,
I pluck the berries of my hard work
To feed my diligent breasts;
As for the seeds of pain, I pick them out
And once every month I see them off to Lethe.
记忆
成婴
年老的女人，会这么回忆吗
我花费太多的时间，用以记忆
不尽然是生命冗长---
我将刻录到身体的，孕养给后代
身体所铭写的，一遍遍传送
直到逸出神经末梢。午间
我摘下辛勤劳获的浆果
喂养孜孜难倦的乳房
疼痛的籽实，拣择出来
每月一次，我亲自送往忘川
About the Author:
Cheng Ying, born in 1971 in Guangdong, is a researcher on architectural history and a documentary film director. She received her MA in architecture from Tsinghua University, focusing on the study of Confucian Temples and Schools. She has published a book of poetry Sitting on the Roof Beam. She now resides in Beijing.
成婴，71年生，广东人，获得硕士，主攻庙学，现居北京。建筑史研究者和纪录片导演，著有诗集《坐房梁》。
Memory
by Cheng Ying tr. Fan Jinghua
Old women, do they recollect in the same way?
I’ve spent too much time remembering,
Not solely because life is boringly long—
I bring forth to my offspring what has been engraved on my body,
And what’s been written by the body, I deliver once and again
Till it frees itself through nerve-ends. At midday,
I pluck the berries of my hard work
To feed my diligent breasts;
As for the seeds of pain, I pick them out
And once every month I see them off to Lethe.
记忆
成婴
年老的女人，会这么回忆吗
我花费太多的时间，用以记忆
不尽然是生命冗长---
我将刻录到身体的，孕养给后代
身体所铭写的，一遍遍传送
直到逸出神经末梢。午间
我摘下辛勤劳获的浆果
喂养孜孜难倦的乳房
疼痛的籽实，拣择出来
每月一次，我亲自送往忘川
About the Author:
Cheng Ying, born in 1971 in Guangdong, is a researcher on architectural history and a documentary film director. She received her MA in architecture from Tsinghua University, focusing on the study of Confucian Temples and Schools. She has published a book of poetry Sitting on the Roof Beam. She now resides in Beijing.
成婴，71年生，广东人，获得硕士，主攻庙学，现居北京。建筑史研究者和纪录片导演，著有诗集《坐房梁》。
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