Fan Jinghua: This and That

　　　　　　This and That

This is itself, neither an answer nor a question,

and therefore this cannot become a problem.

You feel it, know it and you do not solve it.

I write about this to let you know

that maybe this is writing me.

It has an intangible existence improvable,

so good at keeping invisible

that it does not endeavor to keep.

It does not even bother to respond,

especially when you try hard.

All that’s definable will melt into thin air,

breathed and polluted, and for this

we’ll have to believe like time

which we are in and out.

它

它就是它自己，既非答案，也非问题；它成不了难题。

你感觉它，认识它，可你不必去解决。

我所以写到它，也只是为了让你知道，也许是它在写我。

它的存在，无形无影，不可证明，善于隐身，

炉火纯青到从不努力要修炼什么技艺。

它甚至不屑于回应，尤其是你太着力的时候。

可界定的一切都将融化为空气，被呼吸、被污染，

而对它，我们必须怀有信念，要像对时间，既在其中又在其外。

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　2014年9月19日

　　　　　　　　　This

This is itself, neither an answer nor a question, and this cannot

Become a problem. You feel it, know it and do not solve it.

I write about this to let you know that maybe this is writing me.

It has an intangible existence improvable, so good

At keeping invisible that it does not endeavor to keep.

It does not even bother to respond, especially when you try hard.

All that’s definable will melt into thin air, breathed and polluted,

And for this we’ll have to believe like time, which we are in and out.