Thomas Eisenbeiser grew up on a Michigan farm with cattle sheep and horses. He rode horseback most every day. At age 17 he began traveling and has lived in Russia, Germany, Italy, England, France and Mexico. He got two master's degrees from University of Michigan and published two books of poems: A Gathering of Rites (1979) and Crafted (1981). In recent years he divides his time between Nanjing and Ann Arbor.

托马斯-艾森拜仁在美国密歇根州的农场里长大，从小与牛羊为伴，以骑马为乐。17岁开始周游四方，曾旅居俄国、德国、意大利、英国、法国、墨西哥。艾森拜仁从密歇根大学获两个硕士学位，曾出版诗集《仪式的搜集》（1979）以及《手艺》（1981），近年来往返于中国南京与密歇根州安阿伯市。

王一笑，英文名Ayin Wang，诗人，设计师，著有诗集《异岸之火》（2016）、《是时间在唱歌》（2011）、《走过就不会忘记》(2008)。

Wang Yixiao, another name is Ayin Wang. She is a poet and an art designer，she has published three books of poetry, including The Fire of the Strange Shores (2016), Singing of Time (2011) and Never Forget the Paths We've Taken. Her poems have appeared in various magazines, including Poetry Selected in China.

Words That Take Steps

词语的步伐

A sentence may take any shape beyond lemon or lime,
like a worm at the bottom of a bottle, we might watch it squirm,
until it begins to make sense, however flimsy or firm,
or fleeces its jacket, transforms into a churchbell chime

writhing or ringing, two by twelve, its rhythm you'll find
becomes a choral dance, words linking arms in arm,
elbows bumping ribs, hips finding their like and kind,
some bow, some bend their knees, a twirl does no harm;

some may wrench, torque left, lean back, diagonal swing,
holding hands just so, dizzying their hips and hands,
glamming round one another skip and spin, even fling
a wry wrinkled smile that carries you off to ancient lands.

Listen as words pound the barn planks, stomping as the music rolls,
the firelight barely reveals the dust under their soles.
			

一个句子可以是柠檬或酸橙之外的任何形状，
像一只瓶底的蠕虫，我们看着它蠕动，
直到它产生意义，无论那是脆弱的还是坚实的，
或是剥去它的外壳，使之变成教堂悦耳的钟鸣

盘绕鸣响，十二点钟敲两声，你将发现它的旋律
变成合唱共舞，词语勾肩搭背，
臂肘碰撞着肋骨，臀部寻找着同类，
一些鞠躬，一些屈膝，旋转不会造成伤害；

一些可能扳转，扭矩不变，倚肩靠背，沿对角线摇摆，
就这样手拉手，令人眼花缭乱的手臂，
光彩迷人地绕着同伴蹦跳或是自旋，甚至还抛出
揶揄多皱的微笑将你带往古老的土地。

听，当词语敲打谷仓木板，随着滚动的音乐跺脚，
火光几乎不能映出它们鞋底之下的灰尘。