Note

The Chinese poems reproduced here are from the collection《香蒲记》/ Cattails © 2016 山东文艺出版社有限公司 /

Shandong Publishing House of Literature and Art Co., Ltd.



Pear Tree Town in Spring



In Pear Tree Town the worn and faded pleasures of the world

trap the spring—

like a mind that’s lost its bearings,

drunk on antiquated dreams, unable to speak,

and everything said is a rant.
It’s blind to the wildflowers that are everywhere,

and overwhelmed by the depth of the past.

It’s blind to the old man whose son died in the prime of life,

the man who weeps under a tree covering his face with both hands

so others won’t see his grief.
The right words, even light humor,

could indeed temper the impact of such indignity.

But small-town folk facing a life of

emptiness are clumsy and tongue-tied.

Their true passions in life are just…

how many cattle and sheep are fat, and

how much grain can be stored in the barn.
No one cares about the two old Scholar trees by the gate—

why one’s total abscission last year,

why the other’s sepia and wilted marcescence as spring arrived.

The cosmic melancholy in life often comes like that,

unexpected.
And, under the lamplight at dusk

those who have died live again.




*




梨树镇的春天



在梨树镇，春天总是身陷

审美缺失的尘世欢愉

像一个缺少逻辑思维的人

经常宿醉不醒，它不能开口

一开口就是虚妄
它看不到遍地的野花

已经漫过了往事不及的深处

也看不到那个中年丧子的老人

在树下哭泣，为了不让人看见他的悲伤

他把脸深深地埋在双手里
其实，适当的风趣和幽默

可以改变这种体面丧失的结局

但在虚无的生活面前

小镇的人都口拙木讷

他们生命的纯度与厚度

只在于有多少牛羊膘肥体状

又有多少粮食回到谷仓
没有人在意村头的那两棵老槐树

为什么一棵在去年落尽叶子

为什么另一棵，到了春天

还挂着许多枯黄，人生的阔大悲凉

总是来得那样突然
在灯下，在黄昏

那些死去的人又活了一遍