GU Cheng 2 Poems

GU Cheng 2 Poems


　　　　Sepulcher
　　　　　　　　　By GU Cheng (1956-1993)　tr. Fan Jinghua
I know unstoppable disappearing has arrived and I have no grief
In the pine woods my wish is laid
The sea lies below and from a distance it looks like a water pool
Close behind me the afternoon sunshine inches along

Man’s time has drawn to an end but human world still drags on
I am caught in between and should take a rest
Passers-by say the boughs bend low
Passers-by say the boughs still grow


　　墓床
　　　　　顾城(1956-1993)

我知道永逝降临，并不悲伤
松林中安放着我的愿望
下边有海，远看像水池
一点点跟我的是下午的阳光

人时已尽，人世很长
我在中间应当休息
走过的人说树枝低了
走过的人说树枝在长



　　Melting Point
　　　　　　　by GU Cheng (1956-1993)　tr. Fan Jinghua

Sunshine at a certain altitude keeps men warm
Coins surge and subside
They will drown those dreams

Despondent bricks of orange color

Not a single flower can float forever off the ground
Not one hand Not any boat
Not any sound of a brook

Not a single bird can escape from daylight

Just as no one can avoid
Oneself
Or darkness



　　熔点
　　　　　顾城(1956-1993)

阳光在一定高度使人温暖
起起伏伏的钱币
将淹没那些梦幻

桔红色苦闷的砖

没有一朵花能在土地上永远漂浮
没有一只手，一只船
一种泉水的声音

没有一只鸟能躲过白天

正像，没有一个人能避免
自己
避免黑暗

GU Cheng in Amsterdam (June 1992) with lines from his poem on the truck

GU Cheng (1956-1993) was one of the key figures in the Misty poetry, a kind of new poetry with a strong sense of modernism as the Mao-Era was drawing to its end. He was an influectial figure during his life, and his murder of his wife led to a national debate about whether a poet could have a "poetic licence" to kill (an article about his days in Waiheke island in New Zealand). More details about his life can be found in a previous posting.