Fan Jinghua: Camping

　　　　Camping

　　　Spread thy close curtain, love-performing love—
　　　　　　　　　　　　　Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet

We had argued about the site,
On the grass under a tree with all the surroundings
Rising to make us feel as if in a huge open cradle,
Or on a hillside terrace that would make us feel like animals
Of higher order knowing Safety First
And for me there and then as a mere man
Safety implied that you should be kept away from the vast exposure

Your idea of lying on the ground incited the romantic in you
As we had been locked in lofty room-like cages far too long
And could now see ourselves flying down
This chance was too precious
Even insecurity was necessary for the vanity hidden in us
It was much easier to pitch the tent on the grass
Which brought me no trouble but even some added pride

Then, you crawled into your sleeping-bag, I
Mine, like a straightjacket
After a day’s hiking and unstoppable sight-viewing
You were soon slightly snoring
My mind became increasingly dark until I melt into
The darkness of sleep. We were like a couple
After a fight, still having to use the same bed

When birdsongs woke you up I woke at your stirs
I groaned, What is good about a night out
When you fell into sleep alone without
A pillow talk or a star-gazing
You said, The most important is
We have stayed in one tent
For a whole night, alone, away from homes, in the open wilderness

Then your body crawled out of the bag, and went on
To walk out of the tent. You said you needed to pee
And asked me to look out, so my head stuck out of the fly
Seeing you squatting down in front of a slope
“Your apple-shaped buttocks are the most beautiful white
I have ever seen in the early morning light
And I seem to hear the brooklet” whispered my heart
　　　　　　　　　　　　　March 29-30, 2008

　　　野营

　　　张开你密闭的帷帐吧，成全爱情的黑夜！
　　　　　　　　　莎士比亚《罗密欧与朱丽叶》

应该插在树下的草皮上，看四周
缓缓升起，将我们
摆放在一个敞开的巨大摇篮中，
还是搭在山坡的平台
令我们自感是高一等的动物，
懂得安全第一？
于我，仅有的男人，安全
是将你从无穷尽的暴露中隐藏。

一想到躺在大地上，你的内部
便浪漫了起来，
陈旧的我们从高高在上的笼子里飞下来了。
这是多么难得的机会，
不安全感
成就了我们潜在的虚荣。
在草地插起帐篷多么容易，
顺利得甚至给我附加了自豪。

你爬进你的睡袋，我爬进
我的，犹如穿上束身衣。
白天的跋涉与风景
令你很快发出轻鼾。
我越发阴暗
直到融进了昏睡。
我们就像一对恶吵后的夫妻
躺在不得不分享的床上。

晨鸟将你唤醒，
我醒于你的翻身。
我咕哝，似乎自己也不愿听清，
你昨夜径自睡去，
没有看星也没有枕臂长聊。
你说，最重要的是
我们宿在同一个帐篷下，
整整一夜，一男一女，离家，在野外。

接着你的身体爬了出来，继续，
走出帐篷，你让我守望。
我，头伸出门帘，看你
蹲下，在绿色的小坡前；
屁股的大苹果
悬在清晨的草头上，
是我见过的最美丽的白，
而我似乎还听见了小溪潺潺。
　　　　　　　2008年4月1日