Saturday 18 April 2015

Changming to Appear in a Blog Show

forgot to mention last time::

on april 5, i received a kind invitation from well-known american poet Catfish McDaris to participate in a blog show guest-hosted by him at 8:00 pm eastern time on 29 april. the dc-based blog talk radio is hosted by poet professor Michael Anthony Ingram, while the program is called the dc poetry project. i will read three poems (as pasted below) first in chinese and then in english. initially i was very hesitant, for i am always more nervous over the phone than on site - in particular, i am so nervous when communicating in english on the phone that my listening comprehension becomes too poor to understand what people are saying. however, with the mother's day approaching, i want to pay tribute to my mom.

program: the power of poetics
time: 8:00 pm eastern time, 29 april 2015
links:http://www.blogtalkradio.com/dc-poetry-project-

yesterday, Catfish kindly encouraged my younger son Allen to participate in the reading event as well. also, the friendly american poet has recommended us father-son comraderie to co-guest host the program. i am still hesitating about this, but for Allen's sake, we might take the challenge...
---------------------------------

移民

为从你母语的豪强逻辑
逃出生天
你徘徊,再徘徊
穿越地球的长度和宽度
将你的旧我,交付于另一种语法
另一整套对你的嘴唇和笔尖
都很陌生的语法规则
从而扩展你心灵的地图
远远超出家庭和避风港
然而,在此期间,它却成为
这个所选语言一切令人费解之
悖论的殖民地,例如:
快沙流可能会很慢
拳击圈实是方形
而几内亚豚既不是猪
也不是来自几内亚
一如你和我

Immigration

To escape from the tyrannical logic
Of your mother tongue
You wandered, wandering
Through earth’s length and breadth
Subjecting your old self to another syntax
A whole set of grammatical rules
Strangely new to your lips and tips
To expand the map of your mind
Far beyond your home and haven
Yet in the meantime it becomes colonized
By all the puzzling paradoxes
Of this chosen language, for example:
Quicksand can be very slow
Boxing rings are in fact square
And a guinea pig is neither a pig
Nor is it from Guinea
Like you or me
--------------------------------

写于母亲节:献给刘瑜

不是等您走了之后
再为了纪念您而写诗
我现在所写的,亲爱的妈妈
是我对您,地球上生命力
最强者之一的崇高敬意

是的,在您许许多多的的死亡经历中
对我个人(和我的儿子们)最最重要的
莫过于您两岁时的病痛,如此严重
以致您贫穷而无知的养母
只好无奈地把您摊放在一个簸箕里
把您活生生的尸体送回给您的生母

要不是您的继父,用他那萨满技能
遏制住邪恶的精神,并把它逼到一个未知
角落里,你会像一棵树苗注定凋落
(这就是为什么您的乳名改为“捡儿”)

因此,好好的,妈妈,请为我们保持顽强的生命!

On Mother’s Day: for Liu Yu

Rather than composing poetry
To commemorate you after you are gone
I am now writing, dear Mom
To pay my highest tribute to you
As one of the hardest-fated on earth

 Yes, among the many death experiences you’ve had
The most significant one for me (and my sons)
Was your sickness you suffered at two, which was so
Severe that your poor and ignorant foster mother
Could do nothing but put you on a flat basket
And return your living corpse to your bio-creator

But for your step father, who used his shamanic skills
To contain the evil spirit and drive it to an unknown
Corner, you would have died like a doomed sapling
(That’s why your name is changed to ‘Refound’)

So, stay well, Mom, and remain hardy for us!
-------------------------------

最后一卖

你早已卖光
所有的汗珠和血浆
现在,尽管无人问津
你也要卖掉自己的心脏

有的人嫌你的血不够红
有的不满意你偏窄的心房
还有的认为你的冠状脈
沾满过多的情伤

你沿街叫卖,四处流浪
一颗心还是那么鲜活
在手中不停跳动
就像青蛙一样

你渴望能换来一杯清水
润润你冒烟的嗓音
这样,你便不必出卖你的灵魂
就像市场上其他小贩那样
贪得无厌,又铁石心肠

Single Last Sale

You’ve long since sold out
Both your sweat and blood
Now you try to sell your heart
Though nobody wants it

Some say the blood is not red enough
Others find the chambers too narrow
Still others think the coronary arteries
Stained with too many feelings

You peddle around, chanting aloud
From street to street
With your heart still fresh
Beating like a frog in your hands

You hope to sell it for a glass of water
Just to cool down your burning voice
So you do not have to sell your soul
Like all other hawkers in the market
Well satiated, but hardly heart-felt
---------------------------------------------------------------------

No comments:

Post a Comment