Eliot Weinberger 
Translator

on Lyrikline: 5 poems translated

from: kitajščina to: angleščina

Original

Translation

路 歌

kitajščina | BEI Dao

在树与树的遗忘中                                               
是狗的抒情进攻
在无端旅途的终点
夜转动所有的金钥匙
没有门开向你

一只灯笼遵循的是
冬天古老的法则
我径直走向你
你展开的历史折扇
合上是孤独的歌

晚钟悠然追问你
回声两度为你作答
暗夜逆流而上
树根在秘密发电
你的果园亮了

我径直走向你
带领所有他乡之路
当火焰试穿大雪
日落封存帝国
大地之书翻到此刻

© Bei Dao
Audio production: 2004 M.Mechner / literaturWERKstatt berlin

Road Song

angleščina

in the oblivion between the trees
the lyric attacks by dogs
at the end of an endless trip
night turns all the keys of gold
but no door opens for you

a lantern follows
the ancient principles of winter
I walk straight toward you
as you open the fan of history
that’s folded in an isolated song

the evening bell slowly questions you
echoes answer for you twice
dark night sails against the current
tree roots secretly generating electricity  
have lit your orchard
  
I walk straightly toward you
at the head of all foreign roads
when fire tries on the heavy snow
sunset seals the empire
the earth’s book opens the page of this moment

© Translated from Chinese by Eliot Weinberger

给父亲

kitajščina | BEI Dao

在二月寒冷的早晨
橡树终有悲哀的尺寸
父亲,在你照片前
八面风保持圆桌的平静

我从童年的方向
看到的永远是你的背影
沿着通向君主的道路
你放牧乌云和羊群

雄辩的风带来洪水
胡同的逻辑深入人心
你召唤我成为儿子
我追随你成为父亲

掌中奔流的命运
带动日月星辰运转
在男性的孤灯下
万物阴影成双

时针兄弟的斗争构成
锐角,合二为一
病雷滚进夜的医院
砸响了你的门

黎明如丑角登场
火焰为你更换床单
钟表停止之处
时间的飞镖呼啸而过

快追上那辆死亡马车吧
一条春天窃贼的小路
查访群山的财富
河流环绕歌的忧伤

标语隐藏在墙上
这世界并没多少改变:
女人转身融入夜晚
从早晨走出男人

© Bei Dao
Audio production: 2004 M.Mechner / literaturWERKstatt berlin

To Father

angleščina

on a cold February morning
oaks in the end are the size of sadness
father, in front of your photo
the eight-fold wind keeps the round table calm

from the direction of childhood
I always saw your back
as you herded black clouds and sheep
along the road to emperors

an eloquent wind brings floods
the logic of alleyways runs deep into hearts of the people
you sending for me become the son
I following you become the father

fate coursing on the palm of a hand
moves the sun the moon the stars to revolve
beneath a single male lamp
everything has double shadows
 
the clockhand brothers contend to form  
an acute angle, then become one
sick thunder rolls into the hospital of night
pounding on your door

the dawn comes up like a clown
flame changes the bedsheets for you
where the clock stops
time’s dart whistles by
 
let’s catch up to that death-carriage
spring path, a thief
explores treasure in the mountains    
a river circles the song’s grief  

slogans hide on walls  
this world doesn’t change much:
a woman turns around blending into night
in the morning, a man walks out

© Translated from Chinese by Eliot Weinberger

拉姆安拉*

kitajščina | BEI Dao

在拉姆安拉
古人在星空對奕
殘局忽明忽暗
那被鐘關住的鳥
跳出來報時

在拉姆安拉
太陽象老頭翻牆
穿過农贸市場
在生鏽的銅盤上
照亮了自己

在拉姆安拉
諸神從瓦罐飲水
弓向獨弦問路
一個少年到天邊
去繼承大海

在拉姆安拉
死亡沿正午播種
在我窗前開花
抗拒中樹得颶風
那狂暴原形

*拉姆安拉(Ramallah)﹐巴勒斯坦在西岸的首府。

© Bei Dao
Audio production: 2004 M.Mechner / literaturWERKstatt berlin

Ramallah

angleščina

in Ramallah
the ancients play chess in the starry sky
the endgame flickers
a bird locked in a clock
jumps out to tell the time

in Ramallah
the sun climbs over the wall like an old man
and goes through the flea market
throwing mirror light on
a rusted copper plate

in Ramallah
gods drink water from earthen jars
a bow asks a string for directions
a boy sets out to inherit the ocean
from the edge of the sky

in Ramallah
seeds sown along the high noon
death blossoms outside my window
resisting, the tree takes on a hurricane's
violent original shape

© Translated from Chinese by Eliot Weinberger

黑色地圖

kitajščina | BEI Dao

寒鴉終於拼湊成
夜﹕黑色地圖
我回來了—歸程
總是比迷途長
長於一生

帶上冬天的心
當泉水和蜜制藥丸
成了夜的話語
當記憶狂吠
彩虹在黑市出沒

父親生命之火如豆
我是他的回聲
為赴約轉過街角
舊日情人隱身風中
和信一起旋轉
 
北京﹐讓我
跟你所有燈光干杯
讓我的白髮領路
穿過黑色地圖
如風暴領你起飛

我排隊排到那小窗
關上﹕哦明月
我回來了—重逢
總是比告別少
只少一次

© Bei Dao
Audio production: 2004 M.Mechner / literaturWERKstatt berlin

Black Map

angleščina

in the end, cold crows piece together
the night: a black map
I’ve come home-- the way back
longer than the wrong road
long as a life

bring the heart of winter
when spring water and horse pills
become the words of night
when memory barks
a rainbow haunts the black market

my father's life-spark small as a pea
I am his echo
turning the corner of encounters
a former lover hides in a wind
swirling with letters

Beijing, let me
toast your lamplights
let my white hair lead
the way through the black map
as though a storm were taking you to fly
   
I wait in line until the small window
shuts: O the bright moon
I’ve come home-- goodbyes
are less than reunion
only one less

© Translated from Chinese by Eliot Weinberger

時間的玫瑰

kitajščina | BEI Dao

當守門人沉睡
你和風暴一起轉身
擁抱中老去的是
時間的玫瑰

當鳥路界定天空
你回望那落日
消失中呈現的是
時間的玫瑰

當刀在水中折彎
你踏笛聲過橋
密謀中哭喊的是
時間的玫瑰

當筆畫出地平線
你被东方之锣惊醒
回声中开放的是
時間的玫瑰

鏡中永遠是此刻
此刻通向重生之門
那門開向大海
時間的玫瑰

© Bei Dao
Audio production: 2004 M.Mechner / literaturWERKstatt berlin

The Rose of Time

angleščina

when the watchman falls asleep
you turn back with the storm
to grow old embracing is
the rose of time

when bird roads define the sky
you look behind at the sunset
to emerge in disappearance is
the rose of time

when the knife is bent in water
you cross the bridge stepping on flute-songs
to cry in the conspiracy is
the rose of time

when a pen draws the horizon
you're awakened by a gong from the East
to bloom in echoes is
the rose of time

in the mirror there is always this moment
this moment leads to the door of rebirth
the door opens to the sea
the rose of time

© Translated from Chinese by Eliot Weinberger