Winter Day

Fiona Sze-Lorrain

English translations of Yang Jian

1

冬天了,

厕所也变得干净。

 

蹲在坑上的男子,

双手静置在胸前,就像死掉的青蛙。

 

一阵风吹过肛门上的毫毛,

风好干净。

 

我必须确实复归于尘土,才能说我是尘土,

我必须确实腾空而去,才能说我属于飞翔。

 

 

2

河水,

同家门口的老夫妇一样消沉,单调。

 

车轮,

同村庄深处老狗的舌头一样锈重,孤单。

 

夜色

同石缝里的羊屎一样黝黑,散漫。

 

野花,

同落日一样艳丽,永不消灭。

 

Winter Day

 

1

It’s winter
even toilets are clean

A man squats over a hole
with hands over his chest, like a dead frog

A breeze blows past his anus hair
how clean the breeze is

To say I’m dust, I must return to dust
To say I’m flying, I must soar

 

2.

River
depressed, monotonous like an old couple in front of a house

Wheel
rusty, lonely like an old village dog’s tongue

Night
black, dispersed like sheep dung in fissures

Wild flowers
radiant, eternal like the setting sun

Ancient Mansion

古宅

 

我们曾经依偎,

我们曾经相爱。

然后由吵闹变为打骂,

由打骂变为哭泣,

变为热烈的抚摸。

很久了,她在我心中,

就像钻头在墙壁中。

但这不是她的错误,

这是她身不由己的缺点,

令我痛苦,也令她痛苦。

在这里,

我们承受着毁坏一切标准的后果。

必须离开,

远远地离开,

要不然,只有同归于尽。

那里有一座古桥,

还有攀向山顶的石阶,

那里还有一座古宅,

仿佛幽谷,

无论世上的什么,

都在里面回响着。

然后静悄悄的,

像桌子上的镜子,

清楚地照着。

中堂的两侧写着:

“为善最乐,

读书便佳”。

云朵也像很慎重,很缓慢的样子,

我们想要不死就得把自己忘掉。

河水清凉婉转,

我也清凉婉转,

月亮晶莹透亮,

我也晶莹透亮。

流水、草地、月牙……

都是我的心

流出来的

我又有什么不快乐的?

我一切都好。

只有一点,

在这里,

在月光

刺透的银色台阶上,

我爱你,

我不爱你。

这都不能使我解脱。

那就让我们企求自己的心,

像坟场一样寂静,

而世界就像烧光了一样吧。

 

Ancient Mansion

We used to cling
and love each other
Then from quarrel to fight
from fight to tears
and passionate caressing
For very long, she’s in my heart
like a drill in a wall
It’s not her fault
it’s a helpless weakness
that makes me suffer, makes her suffer
Here
we bear the consequences of transgression
We must leave
elope
or die together
Over there, an ancient bridge
climbs toward a mountain peak
an ancient mansion
like a valley
everything in the world
echoes there
Then quietly
like a mirror on the table
reflecting clearly
inscription on two columns in the center hall
Kindness brings most happiness
Literacy is a gift

Clouds too seem measured and slow
We must forget ourselves if we don’t want to die
The river is fresh and meandering
I’m also fresh and meandering
The moon is radiant and clear
I’m also radiant and clear
Cascading water, pasture, crescent moon —
all flowing
from my hear
What else displeases me?
I’m well in general
Only this
here
on the silver stairs pierced
by moonlight
I love you
I don’t love you
None of these can free me
Let’s hope our hearts
are quiet like a graveyard
and the world burns

Fiona Sze-Lorrain
Fiona Sze-Lorrain and Yang Jian

Fiona Sze-Lorrain (www.fionasze.com) writes and translates in English, French and Chinese. Recent work includes two books of translation of Bai Hua and Yu Xiang (forthcoming, Zephyr Press), prose poems of Hai Zi (forthcoming, Tupelo Press), translation of Auxeméry's Mingus, méditations (Estepa Editions, 2011) and a book of poetry, Water the Moon (Marick Press, 2010), an Honorable Mention for the 2011 Eric Hoffer Award. Also a zheng concertist, she is a co-editor atCerise Press. She lives in France.

Born in Anhui Province in 1967, Yang Jian worked as a factory laborer for thirteen years and started writing poetry during the mid-eighties. Considered as one of the greatest Chinese living poets, his books of poetry include Dusk (2003), Ancient Bridge (2007) and Remorse (2009). His honors include the Liu Li'an Poetry Award, the Rougang Poetry Prize, the Yulong Poetry Prize, and the prestigious Chinese Media Literature Award. Also a prolific painter in ink and brush, he leads a Buddhist life in Ma'anshan, Anhui.