Translated by Ouyang Yu
one horse, two horses
three four five six seven horses
one horse
the net-shaped horse
the transparent horse
from one empty door
to another empty door
the skin of the grass
rubbing against the belly
the horses on the slope
their belly shiny and smooth
the horses on the slope
with sunken backs
the blue sky light, the desires heavy
the horses on the slope
their eyes open with wild flowers
Based in Nanjing, China, Yu Kuichao's poetry has appeared in Otherland (No. 1, 1996).
About Ouyang Yu
Ouyang Yu is an award-winning poet, novelist and translator. His first novel,
The Eastern Slope Chronicle, won the 2004 South Australian Festival Award for Innovation in Writing. His third novel,
The English Class, won the 2011 NSW Premier's Award, and his 14th collection of poetry,
Terminally Poetic (2020), won the Judith Wright Calanthe Award for a Poetry Book in the 2021 Queensland Literary Awards. Recent works include the novels
All the Rivers Run South (Puncher and Wattmann, 2003) and
The Sun at Eight or Nine (Puncher and Wattmann, 2025), and the collection of short stories
The White Cockatoo Flower (Transit Lounge 2024).
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