ZHAI Yongming: Know the Dance by the Scent

ZHAI Yongming's Poem tr. by me 翟永明的诗

ZHAI Yongming (b. 1955) is considered to be the best poet in her generation, which is now generally termed as the post-mystic generation (The second generation after Mao's time). She started writing poems in 1980 and her first poetry book Women was published in 1986. She now lives in Chengdu, Sichuan.
翟永明（1955- ），第三代女诗人，毕业于四川成都电子科技大学。1980年开始写作，1986年出版第一本诗集《女人》。现居成都，写作兼经营“白夜”酒吧。





　　Know the Dance by the Scent　闻香识舞
　　　　　　　　　　　　by ZHAI Yongming tr. FAN Jinghua

I
Consciously or　unconsciously
she sets the wind flying　her butterfly clothing
the scent of the incense
dances till the song dies

She who has curvaceous hips is born to dance to death
Her legs　her bosom　her measurements
her face and the grimy water
all engaged in a debate from exhilaration to ecstasy
"Light　cannot differentiate them"

Deep-buried sleep and the rolls on the floor
emit the smell of alcohol

1

有意或　无意
她把风抖开　她的蝶衣
香烟的香
把一曲舞尽

既有美臀　何不一舞至死
她的腿　胸　她的三围
脸和污水
酣畅至淋漓　都在争论
“灯光，它无法辨别”

深处的睡眠和满地的滚动
有酒精味


II
In a crowd　her body huddles up
I know you　except for your heart
I rely on you　except for your magic liquid
I nurture you　except for your body scent

This is temperament: when I stand erect
my skin casts light upon all the truth that can be found
I fly　but naked eyes can not penetrate my flight
My dance　absorbs the dust all around

2

在人群中　她的身体蜷缩
除了你的心　我认识你
除了你的魔液　我依赖你
除了你的体香　我滋养你

这就是脾气：全身挺直时
我的皮肤映照全场的真理
我飞翔　肉眼望不进
我的舞　吸干周围的尘土


　　　　　III
My partner　a boy in black
his limbs touch the floor with admirable grace
When I rotate　as I turn into a column
someone is heard to say:
This sight is familiar to my eyes

I dance for familiarity　and for unfamiliarity
Familiar scent leads me to heaven
The unfamiliar　sprinkles down with the grimy drips

　　　　3

舞伴　一个黑衣男孩
四肢美妙着地
当我旋转　转成一根柱
另有一人在旁说话：
这情景熟悉

我为熟悉而舞　也为陌生
熟悉的香引我上天堂
陌生的香　随污水洒下

　　　　　IV

Dance grows inside the body
You cannot see
When I dance　it appears
When it appears　I disappear

The dancer is calm　but the dance
stirs　Hands and legs
lift and lower　My head darts and tosses

Intense or supple
all the dance movements
are connected to it

4

舞蹈在体内生长
你看不见
我舞　它出现
它出现　我消失不在

舞蹈者平静　而舞
运动　手和腿
举起又放下　头甩动

烈性的舞　和
软性的舞　都与它
有关


　　　　V

Inward scent　drifts between the folds of collar
You haul me up into the air
Twelve dancers are dancing　but won’t the radiance
cut deep in me again?

Prolonged movement trammels me
Prolongation　spurs me to jump

My ascension has to draw support from your hair
The skeleton of four seasons relies on your song
It so happens that my heart takes you to wife

5

暗香　在衣领间浮动
你拖起我　不着地
十二舞徒在舞　难道灿烂
不再割伤我？

漫长的动作束缚我
漫长　令我跳跃

上升的我　要借助你的发
四季的骨骼　借你的歌
我的心　竟娶了你


　　　　　VI

I have told her: before my eyes
were ignited by bombshell splinters
dance possessed me

Maiden scent resided in me　and overflowed
my back of body liquid　I made scent
especially when I groped along
Blindness　makes dances absolute

It also makes them circulate in the nerves and brains
till the absoluteness reaches the ribs

6

我告诉她：在弹片
点燃我的眼睛之前
舞拥有我

我拥有少女香
溢出体液的背　制作香
特别是我摸索前行
盲　使舞绝对

又使舞循环到神经　大脑
绝对到　她肋骨


　　　　　　VII

The scents of devilwood　and of monkshood
Scents of the same intensity pass by

I see her head emitting
I see her belly floating
I see her steps exuding

All that your sense of smell fails to note
is the scent she leaves behind
All the twists of her angles that my eyes fall on
are an integral part of her inside

I cry for the sake of the scent
She becomes a statue for the dance
We know this　blood of another kind

7

木樨香　堇香
一派的香　走过

我看见她的头　在冒
我看见她的腹　在飘
我看见她的步履　在渗出

所有你们闻不到的
是她走过的香
所有我看到的　她关节的扭
是她内部的完整

我为香而哭
她为舞而凝固
懂得了　另一种血液



　　　　　VIII

Golden claws　so you’ve come
Dance to your full color　in your dream
from summer to autumn　I dance
till a thousand gold coins are dissipated

Dance of tears　rushes into you
and smells out your scent　so I cry
No game will last forever and ever
My dance　surely　will come to an end

8

金黄的爪子　你来了
斑斓起舞　在梦中
从夏天到秋天　我舞
把千金散尽

哭泣的舞　奔入你
闻到你的香　我哭泣
所有的游戏　没有不散
我的舞　有舞尽之时？


　　　　IX

Hands and legs are but manacles　a sorrow
that ties me down
The water drops from us both　drip
in our mutual dance　gentle like clouds

A son　or a daughter
is a chrysalis born in the wind
The scent from him　or her
is the positive scent
from heart and hands
　　　　　September 9, 1998

9

手脚乃镣铐　一个悲哀
拴住我
你我的水珠　在共同的舞中
滑落　温柔如云

一个儿子　或女儿
风中出生的蝶蛹
他　或　她　的香
是心和手的
肯定的香
1998.9.9.