Archive for the ‘1986’ Category
十一月 10, 2019
GORBACHEV
Gorbachev is a moral voice.
The leader of an empire is
a moral voice for most of his life.
He tried everything to preserve
the empire he undermined.
He is a Communist.
And so
Gorbachev is a moral voice
for the world.
Reagan was a supportive
Cowboy actor.
Very supportive
for speculators
and Contra terrorists
and Kissinger’s and Thatcher’s
and the Chicago Boys’ Pinochet.
Very supportive.
Gorbachev is for democracy
and world peace.
Could he be a leader
of the European Union,
could he be a good one?
He’s too old anyway.
But it would have to include Russia
to say nothing of Britain
of course
and so on.
Wish we all
all people affected
would have a say.
P.S.: My wife
thinks this is hogwash.
She doesn’t like my political poems.
What do you think?
I know I have to write a lot
and translate and read
and do a lot of other stuff
to write some good ones.
So there.
MW November 2019
P.P.S.: Here are some great photos and a short film from the GDR: https://www.arte.tv/de/videos/089938-000-A/radfahrer/
And here is Gorbachev’s Pizza Hut commercial from 1997. Click on the image to read a hilarious Foreign Policy article and watch the commercial.
标签：america, Britain, Europe, Gorbachev, history, language, life, memory, poetry, politics, russia, south america, world
发表在 1980s, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1990s, 1991, 2000s, 2010s, 2019, 20th century, 21st century, Middle Ages, November 2019, poetry, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »
十一月 21, 2016
Photo by Minya Lin
又說再見了!
這几天在台灣
碰到很多朋友
非常難得。
有的認試快三十年了。
這几天碰到很多作家
很多譯着同事
還碰到詩人鴻鴻。
在台灣有人
天天碰到鴻鴻
也碰到楽天
鴻鴻的小兒子。
昨天楽天碰到我。
抱着他像十年前
抱着自己的孩子。
那時候在北京。
今天晚上我離開台灣。
如果能留下會怎麽様?
台灣目前有些方面
比奥地利好。
没有崛起的右派。
有第一位女總统,
社會有一些進步。
總共很多方面
比三十年前進步蠻大了。
目前台灣好像比歐洲美国都好,
也许有點像加拿大,
雖然台灣很小,
半個奥地利面積。
能够面對自己的歷史,
能够促進社會改造
都非常難得的。
請朋友多保重!
希望早點再見!
2016/11
Leicht gesagt, denk ich mir bei manchen Aussagen aus Österreich. Bin gerade in Taiwan. Manches ist besser. Vieles ist besser als vor 30 Jahren. Ganz, ganz deutlicher Fortschritt. Zeitgeschichte wird aufgearbeitet. In Österreich hat erst Vranitzky über 40 Jahre nach Kriegsende die Verantwortung für die Shoa,
für all die furchtbaren Greuel zugegeben. Obwohl vorher schon ein Jude 13 Jahre Bundeskanzler war. In Taiwan war 40 Jahre Kriegsrecht. 1947-1987. 1991 hat Präsident Lee Teng-hui die Verantwortung der Regierung für das Massaker von 1947 zugegeben und sich bei den Angehörigen der Opfer entschuldigt. In Österreich hat man vor 30 Jahren endlich das Vergessen der Verantwortung aufgegeben. Das haben viele damals geglaubt. Es hat auch gestimmt. Aber jetzt hat Österreich auch schon fast seit 30 Jahren vergessen, worauf die 2. Republik basiert. Thomas Bernhard und Elfriede Jelinek und so weiter hatten und haben leider recht. Mein eigenes Schreiben kommt von Ernst Jandl her. Die radikale Kritik in den Werken vieler Schriftsteller kommt für mich von der Hoffnung, dass es irgendwie möglich sein könnte, sich der Verantwortung zu stellen. Immer noch leicht gesagt, ich weiß.
Photo by Minya Lin
Photo by Cornelia Kuan
标签：austria, canada, children, 美国 America, elections, Europe, 花莲, 鴻鴻, 鹿野, 龍田, friendship, history, Hung Hung, literature, Longtien, Luye, memory, people, poetry, politics, progress, society, Taipei, Taitung, taiwan, translation, writing, 台灣, 台北, 台東
发表在 1980s, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, 2016, November 2016, poetry, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »
十一月 2, 2016
CEMETERY
The cemetery is up on the hill
not far from the madhouse and worse
in the war but a beautiful park.
The cemetery has a beautiful view
on western Vienna, where I grew up
and half of the city.
Cemeteries are beautiful places
cultures of memory. Beautiful stones;
what happens if no-one pays?
Who has a flag, who has an eagle;
which fatherland did he fly and die for
in 1938?
We have two graves, with my mother or father
we visit three. Two years ago my grandmother died,
we were very close.
Who is and who isn’t down in our grave?
The one with our name,
every family has several names;
places and sites, countries and questions.
Up on the hill close to the entrance,
down and secluded not very far.
Vienna has many beautiful hills
and a beautiful river
and many waters and many souls.
Rest in peace. Thank you.
MW November 2016
标签：all saints' day, beauty, cemetery, close, culture, dead, 萬聖節, family, father, fences, grandfather, grandmother, grass, grave, history, land, life, mad, memory, mother, park, peace, pebbles, people, questions, relations, relationships, relatives, rest, river, rocks, sleep, souls, Stones, trees, Vienna, water
发表在 1938, 1945, 1965, 1966, 1986, 1987, 2014, 2015, 2016, November 2014, November 2015, November 2016, October 2014, October 2016, poetry, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »
