Poetry Quarterly

  Editor-in-Chief:
  Yidan Han

  Contributing Editors:
  Andrea D. Lingenfelter
  Timothy Liu

严力 Yan Li 诗人、画家、作家。1954年生于北京。他是1979年北京先锋艺术团体“星星画会”和地下文学团体“今天”的成员。1985年从北京赴纽约并于1987年在纽约创立“一行”诗刊。严力出版过许多诗集和小说集，也办过数十次艺术展览。他的作品被翻译成各种文字。目前他定居上海和纽约。 Poet, painter, fiction writer, born in 1954 in Beijing, China. He is a member of a vanguard artist group "The Stars" founded in 1979 and an underground literary group "Today" in Beijing. As a poet, he is regarded as one of the members of the Misty Poets. He came to US in 1985 and founded quarterly journal Yi-Hang in New York in 1987. His poems have been translated into French, Italian, English, Swedish, Korean and German. He has held many exhibitions and published a number of books. He lives in Shanghai and New York.		译者 Translator Denis Mair 梅丹理 Poet and translator. He is a co-translator of Frontier Taiwan (Columbia). His book of poems Man Cut in Wood was published by Valley Contemporary Press in 2003. He has lectured on the I CHING at the Temple School of Poetry (Walla Walla). 诗人和中英文翻译。曾翻译了很多中国现代诗人的作品介绍给美国的诗坛，曾任美国西北部诗刊《诗庙》的编辑。他是美国哥伦比亚大学出版社出版的有关台湾的“前沿”一书的翻译者之一。他还曾在《寺庙》创办的诗人学校里讲课。他的个人诗集《刻在木头里的人》2003年由美国当代山谷出版社出版。 Paulette Roberts 罗宝乐 Born in the United States in 1964. Learned Chinese during 1984-1985 at The People’s University of China, Beijing. Received Bachelor of Arts from Vassar College, New York. Won Sophia Chen Zen Memorial Prize for the best thesis in Asian Studies and The Diligent Student Award from Vassar College. She lives in New York. 1964年出生于美国。1984至1985在中国北京的人民大学学习中文。1986年获得纽约凡萨大学艺术学士学位。1982年获得中文学习优秀学生奖。 1986年获得凡萨大学Sophia Chen Zen纪念奖。现居纽约。

梦		Dreams
让梦和梦相爱我们睡觉睡到被梦和梦的婚礼吵醒我们不吵因为语言早就在公元前列入了凶器的行列所以去看唇膏的广告梦也曾是私奔的男女留下衣架上的衣服一如我们布在冬天的鼓舞中也学会了生长那就让布和布相爱吧我们裸露着睡觉梦也曾是蚊子把我们叮醒之后就撒手不管了连房子也浑身发痒那就让消防队员来喷洒止痒水但这是理想其实我们每一次被梦叮醒都发现没地方可挠 1984		Let dreams love dreams We sleep Until disturbed by the dreams' wedding We make no sound Because language, before Christ Was placed in the rank of lethal weapons So Go look at a lipstick Ad The dreams could also elope The clothing left on the hangers resembles us During Winter's inspiration Cloth also knows to grow up So then let cloth love cloth We sleep nude The dreams could also be mosquitos After stinging us awake they wash their hands of the affair Then the entire house itches The fire brigade sprays anesthetizing water But this is an ideal Each time dreams sting us awake We discover there is no place to scratch Translated by Paulette Roberts

我是雪		I am Snow
我是雪我被太阳翻译成水我是水我把种子翻译成植物我是植物我把花朵翻译成果实我是果实我被父母翻译成生命我是生命我被衰老翻译成死亡我是死亡我被冬季翻译成雪我是雪我被太阳翻译成水 1989		I am snow The sun translates me into water I am water I translate seeds into plants I am plant I translate flowers into fruit I am fruit My parents translate me into life I am life Old age translates me into death I am death Winter translates me into snow I am snow The sun translates me into water Translated by Denis Mair

纽约		New York
没到过纽约就等于没到过美国但美国人对纽约抱有戒心到过纽约就等于延长了生命一年就可以经历其他地方十年的经验集中了人类社会所有种族经验的那个人名叫纽约在纽约可以深入地发现自己被自己的恶毒扭曲成弹簧世界上许多有名的弹簧都出自纽约的压力啊纽约的司机好象要带领世界的潮流去闯所有传统的红灯但是别忘了小费到过纽约这个大花园的游客们都知道住在纽约的蜜蜂们甚至学会了从塑料的花朵里面吸出蜂蜜绰号"大苹果"的纽约这苹果并非仅仅在夏娃和亚当之间传递而是夏娃递给了夏娃亚当递给了亚当大声咀嚼的权力掀起了许多同性的高潮入夜的纽约啊在吞噬了白天繁忙的阳光之后早就迫不及待地解开了灯光的纽扣坦率的欲望就像所有的广告都擦过口红妓女妓女虽然是纽约非法的药但生活常常为男人开出的药方是: 妓女一名纽约纽约纽约是用自由编织的翅膀胜利者雇佣了许多人替他们飞翔多少种人生的汽车在纽约的大街上奔驰啊不管你是什么牌子的创造发明者或者你使用了最大的历史的轮胎但纽约的商人已经在未来的路上设立了加油站纽约纽约纽约在自己的心脏里面洗血把血洗成流向世界各地的可口可乐 1996		If you haven’t been to New York you haven’t been to America, But Americans keep up their guard about New York. Being in New York is equal to lengthening your lifespan. The experience you get in a year takes ten years in other places. He who combines the experience of all human races Is a person named New York. In New York you make a sobering discovery: You get twisted by your own meanness into a spring. Many of the world’s famous springs Emerged from the pressures of New York. And the cabbies of New York Are ready to take world trends through all the red lights of tradition, But when they do, Don’t forget the tip. Travelers in this garden of New York all know The honeybees of New York have no problem Getting nectar from plastic flowers. New York is nicknamed the “Big Apple,” But this apple is not just passed from Adam to Eve. Eve has also passed it to Eve, And Adam to Adam. New York at nightfall, Before it swallows the last rays of hectic day, Is frantic to twist the buttons of lamplight. Up-front desires always put on lipstick Just like all the advertisements. Prostitutes are one of New York’s illegal drugs, But the prescription that life writes for a fellow Is often “one whore, to be taken at night.” New York, New York This place where freedom is woven into wings And winners hire people to fly for them. The cars of so many ways of life cruise down New York’s avenues. No matter what make and model you invent, No matter how great the historical span of your tires, New York’s merchants have set up a gas station on your future road. New York, New York New York filters the blood of the world through its heart; It filters blood into Coca-Cola and sends it flowing everywhere in the world. Translated by Denis Mair

鱼钩		Fishhook
经过了许多年的等待我的鱼钩啊终于在没有鱼的池塘里自己游了起来但在更多年的游动之后它满脸无奈地一口吞下了自己 2000		After all these years of waiting This fishhook of mine In the pond without fish Starts swimming for itself Then after more years of swimming With a look of resignation It gulps itself down Translated by Denis Mair

无题		Untitled
我与可口可乐合拍了一张影像但朋友们都说看不出有甚麼夫妻相都说他太老太黑太多物质的狂妄虽然百年来他有全球共识的卖相朋友们还说为了我那下一代的质量绝不能光从经济上考虑配偶的优良于是我一次次地把全身心的情感酝酿直到我在各种条件的衡量中乱了方向直到我再也没有青春的优势与他人较量直到我内心只剩下一片天寒地冻的凄凉直到我最终把忏悔词喊得山响直到如冰块沉浮在可乐中的我不再谈论除消费之外的任何理想 2001.7.21		Coca Cola and I had our picture taken recently But friends say they don’t see much compatibility They say he’s too old, too dark, and crazy materially Though everyone knows he has sold well for a century Friends say that for the sake of heredity I shouldn’t just rate a spouse economically With body and soul I brew up affection repeatedly Till I start to measure my advantages erratically Till my youthful head start starts deserting me Till the chill of a lonely world settles inwardly Till my repentant cries echo boomingly Till I feel like an ice-cube, bobbing about in cola Now consuming is all, ideals don’t appeal to me Translated by Denis Mair

价值兑换率		The Exchange Rate of Values
今天我用二十一世纪的脚步踏进银行查阅美金与人民币的兑换率一比八点几的现实还是没有改变我再次体会已经麻木了的失望多少年了我一直在琢磨一斤美国肉等于八斤多中国肉的两头猪它们不同的价值观是如何形成的如何确定的又是被如何吃出来的 2003		Today I take 21st Century steps into the bank To check on the exchange rate between US dollars and Chinese yuan One to eight-point-something Still no change I'm feeling this same old disappointment For so many years How can there be an eight--to-one difference Between the values of a Chinese and an American pig? Aside from God, who figures this out? And what kind of global value is found in the eating? Translated by Denis Mair

理发店		Barbershop
现实是最大的理发店每次理发时为修饰外观而被剪掉的那一部分名叫诗歌 2002.12		Social reality is the biggest barbershop Every time you go in for a haircut The part cut off to keep up appearances Is called poetry Translated by Denis Mair

阳光明媚的星期天		The Bright Sunday Sunlight
星期天的阳光明媚我们几乎把露天咖啡馆坐成了度假的沙滩我们谈到了美妙的生命和爱情甚至谈到的死亡也是浪漫的我们谈到了自杀者到了另一个世界之后如果再自杀一次就又回到了这个世界星期天的阳光啊真他妈的太明媚 2003		In the bright Sunday sunlight we sit in the garden cafe talking about death and travel about suicide from this world to another after the dead arrive in the other world they return to this one with another suicide The bright Sunday sunlight It’s really damn bright Translated by Denis Mair

端详		Gazing Intently
端详一小块剪下来的指甲就是端详自己的一部分一小段过去的生长史一小片不再属于自己的自己一旦喜欢了这种实实在在无恨无爱的感觉就会喜欢成为垃圾的生命 2004.4		To gaze intently at a sliver of fingernail Is to gaze at a part of myself One chapter from the history of my growth A piece of myself that no longer belongs to myself If I can ever appreciate this truthful perception Free from hate and love I will appreciate how life turns to garbage Translated by Denis Mair

梦

Dreams

我是雪

I am Snow

纽约

New York

鱼钩

Fishhook

无题

Untitled

价值兑换率

The Exchange Rate of Values

理发店

Barbershop

阳光明媚的星期天

The Bright Sunday Sunlight

端详

Gazing Intently