Gift
Yang Jian
Without any struggling, leaves fall from the tree.
Wind
Again blows one up;
She sizzles, without any struggling either.
On its thin and dry body,
Love, appears to be stronger than when it was still hanging on the trunk.
Yes, I am immortal,
Which must be the gift from the leaves.
馈赠
杨键
树叶没有经过任何抵抗就落下了，
风，
又把它吹起，
她也是没有任何抵抗地“沙沙”作响。
在它瘦小，枯干的身体上，
爱，似乎比它在树干上的时候还要强烈。
是的，我是不死的，
也一定是这些树叶所赠。
The confusing pronouns in this poem reveal an interesting aspect about the poet. The image of leaves falling from the tree is not a natural phenomenon, as almost all the poets who lament the transience of life have seen. What is interesting to note is that in the first line, the leaves appear to be equal with the poet as a human being. The leaves should have struggled. Dylan Thomas urged his dying father to be a man like him: “Do not go gentle into that good night/ Rage, rage against the dying of the light.” It appears that the poet is too disappointed at the giving-up of life on the part of the leaves. However, the poet immediately brings up a larger circulation of life.
The wind blows one leaf up from the ground, and the purposed dead leaf is therefore joined into the circulation. The most interesting thing is that the inanimate “it” is changed into a female pronoun, thus the leaf is either a metaphor for a woman or the essence or spirit underlying the phenomenal world of life and death. When the leaf (she) sizzles or sings in the wind as it (she) is blown around, its resignation (without struggling) becomes the way of all life, thus the lament in the first line is neutralized. The resignation to the natural circulation of life becomes a critique to the cultural configuration of lamentation over autumn and death.
The poet does not highlight the concrete images in the poem, contrary to many mediocre pieces; instead, the poet makes the reader hear the sizzling sound, and thus the whole poem comes alive. However, the poem does not keep its strength, or perhaps the poet does not trust the readers. The following two lines present the leaf as a female body, and this representation is hackneyed and superficial. This is sad for both the poet and the reader, and for poetry.
Yang Jian
Without any struggling, leaves fall from the tree.
Wind
Again blows one up;
She sizzles, without any struggling either.
On its thin and dry body,
Love, appears to be stronger than when it was still hanging on the trunk.
Yes, I am immortal,
Which must be the gift from the leaves.
馈赠
杨键
树叶没有经过任何抵抗就落下了，
风，
又把它吹起，
她也是没有任何抵抗地“沙沙”作响。
在它瘦小，枯干的身体上，
爱，似乎比它在树干上的时候还要强烈。
是的，我是不死的，
也一定是这些树叶所赠。
The confusing pronouns in this poem reveal an interesting aspect about the poet. The image of leaves falling from the tree is not a natural phenomenon, as almost all the poets who lament the transience of life have seen. What is interesting to note is that in the first line, the leaves appear to be equal with the poet as a human being. The leaves should have struggled. Dylan Thomas urged his dying father to be a man like him: “Do not go gentle into that good night/ Rage, rage against the dying of the light.” It appears that the poet is too disappointed at the giving-up of life on the part of the leaves. However, the poet immediately brings up a larger circulation of life.
The wind blows one leaf up from the ground, and the purposed dead leaf is therefore joined into the circulation. The most interesting thing is that the inanimate “it” is changed into a female pronoun, thus the leaf is either a metaphor for a woman or the essence or spirit underlying the phenomenal world of life and death. When the leaf (she) sizzles or sings in the wind as it (she) is blown around, its resignation (without struggling) becomes the way of all life, thus the lament in the first line is neutralized. The resignation to the natural circulation of life becomes a critique to the cultural configuration of lamentation over autumn and death.
The poet does not highlight the concrete images in the poem, contrary to many mediocre pieces; instead, the poet makes the reader hear the sizzling sound, and thus the whole poem comes alive. However, the poem does not keep its strength, or perhaps the poet does not trust the readers. The following two lines present the leaf as a female body, and this representation is hackneyed and superficial. This is sad for both the poet and the reader, and for poetry.
We can easily put the poet into a stereotype of “male poet who subjugates the female poem.” The poet finds stronger love in the inanimate body of the feminized leaf, and does this reveal the poet's fascination over the subjugated? The reason for the apparently over-done lines deserves more attention. Why does the poet feel that he has to come to the fore and become so forceful?
Maybe he just needs an “also” to be added to the penultimate line. The proceeding two redundant lines already tell that the last two lines are about, and therefore the reflection in the last two lines does not hold the necessary tension.
A purely personal note:
Maybe he just needs an “also” to be added to the penultimate line. The proceeding two redundant lines already tell that the last two lines are about, and therefore the reflection in the last two lines does not hold the necessary tension.
A purely personal note:
The poem can be read as a way of life in that resignation does not mean failure. Even for personal relationships, how one accepts and acknowledges a relation, passionately outgoing or apparently conservative, does not matter as long as in its core love exists.
这首诗中的代词混用很有趣。首先，第一行说的是很多树叶，最后一行也是这么说的。然后第三行之后用的是单数，而且无生命的它和有生命的她混用。我们要如何理解呢？看到很多树叶落下，这是一种总体的现象；然后看到一片树叶被风吹起，这是具体的。
第一行的悲秋可说是所有文明中都有的，对于生命脆弱的哀叹。威尔士诗人迪伦·托马斯看到父亲垂死在床上，愤怒，大吼：不要温顺地进入那良宵，要咆哮、对着光明的消泯咆哮。在第一行中，诗人似乎也是这样的，对于“没有任何抵抗”的放弃，感到失望而无奈。然而，这首诗的长处恰恰在诗人立即将这种失望引向了另一个方向。
接着，诗人看到了一片具体的叶子又被风吹起来了。这就是说，看似死了的叶子进入了另一个生命的循环。这儿就出现了一个非有趣的代词转换。本来用无生命的它来指代这片叶子的，然后改用了有生命的女性代词她。于是，我们可以说，叶子就成了一种生命或者灵魂的隐喻，当然也有可能说是某个女性人物。在此，我们可以说这两者是相通的。当这片叶子被吹来吹去的时候，它-她发出沙沙的声响，也是隐忍而毫不抵抗的，这种隐忍或认命却是一种顺应生命流程的歌声。这客观上又使得第一行的悲叹失去了合理性，也就是说，这一行具有了一种对于传统的批判意识。
这首诗中诗人没有着力强调叶子的视觉具体性，或者起码不是从开始这么强调的，而是强调了声音，这是这首诗的一个长处，这首如此短小的诗歌因此具有了一种活泼。然后，我们立即就看到诗人的失败之处了。第五六两行，诗人将那片叶子的身体带进了人们的视觉之中，而且是一个很女性化的身体。这固然可以说是对于上文中的“她”的回应，但是却是俗套而且肤浅的。这可能反映了诗人对于读者的不信，低估了读者的能力，或者诗人无法摆脱自己的男性视角，一定要将诗表现为一个驯服了的女性。这是否暗示了诗人对于死尸般女性身体的某种迷恋（当然这里的身体是文化意义上的）？这看似多余的两行所显示的失败非常值得探讨。到底是假定的读者有问题，还是诗人自己无法超越？为什么诗人觉得自己非要站到前台，如此强迫？
如果第五六行删除掉，那么倒数第二行只需要加一个“也”字，就可以了。最后两行是一种反思，而正是前面多余的两行削弱了这种反思的张力。前两行已经将这种反思的内容预先透底了。
有关这首诗的纯粹私人的想法：这首诗可以很简单的理解为一种人生之道的阐释。一个人如何接受或者承认一种关系，其方式无所谓，热情的表露或者表面的缄默，都无关紧要。只要爱存在于内心，我们就是不死的。
这首诗中的代词混用很有趣。首先，第一行说的是很多树叶，最后一行也是这么说的。然后第三行之后用的是单数，而且无生命的它和有生命的她混用。我们要如何理解呢？看到很多树叶落下，这是一种总体的现象；然后看到一片树叶被风吹起，这是具体的。
第一行的悲秋可说是所有文明中都有的，对于生命脆弱的哀叹。威尔士诗人迪伦·托马斯看到父亲垂死在床上，愤怒，大吼：不要温顺地进入那良宵，要咆哮、对着光明的消泯咆哮。在第一行中，诗人似乎也是这样的，对于“没有任何抵抗”的放弃，感到失望而无奈。然而，这首诗的长处恰恰在诗人立即将这种失望引向了另一个方向。
接着，诗人看到了一片具体的叶子又被风吹起来了。这就是说，看似死了的叶子进入了另一个生命的循环。这儿就出现了一个非有趣的代词转换。本来用无生命的它来指代这片叶子的，然后改用了有生命的女性代词她。于是，我们可以说，叶子就成了一种生命或者灵魂的隐喻，当然也有可能说是某个女性人物。在此，我们可以说这两者是相通的。当这片叶子被吹来吹去的时候，它-她发出沙沙的声响，也是隐忍而毫不抵抗的，这种隐忍或认命却是一种顺应生命流程的歌声。这客观上又使得第一行的悲叹失去了合理性，也就是说，这一行具有了一种对于传统的批判意识。
这首诗中诗人没有着力强调叶子的视觉具体性，或者起码不是从开始这么强调的，而是强调了声音，这是这首诗的一个长处，这首如此短小的诗歌因此具有了一种活泼。然后，我们立即就看到诗人的失败之处了。第五六两行，诗人将那片叶子的身体带进了人们的视觉之中，而且是一个很女性化的身体。这固然可以说是对于上文中的“她”的回应，但是却是俗套而且肤浅的。这可能反映了诗人对于读者的不信，低估了读者的能力，或者诗人无法摆脱自己的男性视角，一定要将诗表现为一个驯服了的女性。这是否暗示了诗人对于死尸般女性身体的某种迷恋（当然这里的身体是文化意义上的）？这看似多余的两行所显示的失败非常值得探讨。到底是假定的读者有问题，还是诗人自己无法超越？为什么诗人觉得自己非要站到前台，如此强迫？
如果第五六行删除掉，那么倒数第二行只需要加一个“也”字，就可以了。最后两行是一种反思，而正是前面多余的两行削弱了这种反思的张力。前两行已经将这种反思的内容预先透底了。
有关这首诗的纯粹私人的想法：这首诗可以很简单的理解为一种人生之道的阐释。一个人如何接受或者承认一种关系，其方式无所谓，热情的表露或者表面的缄默，都无关紧要。只要爱存在于内心，我们就是不死的。
About the author:
Yang Jian was born in 1967. He published two books of poems: Nightfall (2003) and At the Ancient Bridge (2007). He is awarded the Sixth Annual Award for Literature in Chinese Language (Poetry) in 2007, perhaps the most respected Chinese literary award.
Yang Jian (1967-)