Jiang Caiyun
ALTER SOLDAT
Opas Kamerad
hat keine Kinder.
Im Koreakrieg
hat er eine Hand dortgelassen.
Als Opa gestorben ist,
geht der Kamerad ganz in schwarz
mit leerem Ärmel
durch die Leute,
gibt Opa die Hand.
Übersetzt von MW im Februar 2019
Yi Sha 《新诗百年祭》
100 YEARS OF NEW CHINESE POETRY
Seven years ago
at Qinghai Lake International Poetry Festival
one morning at breakfast
at Qinghai Hotel
I sat with two poets from Taiwan.
20 years before I had received them in Xi’an.
Time has flown very fast.
Now they are already 80 years old.
One of them was very eager to tell me: “This morning I still had an erection!”
I liked the old guy very much, so I said: “You should write this into a poem!”
Suddenly he took back everything I found so cute about him
and told me seriously:
“How could you write such a thing!”
Seven years have passed.
On the occasion of 100 years
of New Chinese Poetry
I thought about him.
I want to say,
this is a limitation in our New Poetry
or in our nation,
except for Avantgarde poets
or colloquial poems.
May 2016
Tr. MW, June 2016
《新诗百年祭》
七年前
在青海湖国际诗歌节期间
有天早晨
在青海宾馆西餐厅
吃早餐的时候
我和我二十多前
在西安接待过的两位
台湾老诗人坐一桌
时间过得真快
转眼他们成了八十老翁
其中一个兴奋地说：
＂今早醒来
我还有晨勃呢！＂
我觉得老人家太可爱了
就说：＂您应该把它写成诗＂
他顿时收敛了所有的可爱
一脸严肃道：＂这怎么可以写？！＂
七年过去了
我在新诗百年祭时想起他来
我想说：
这是新诗百年抑或
华夏一族的局限
口语诗抑或
先锋诗人除外
Yi Sha 《梦（651）》
DREAM #651
I am sleeping
with a poetess I have haven’t known very long
on the same bed
in our clothes feet to feet
late at night
I am beginning to wriggle,
thinking: such a great opportunity
if I don’t do anything
it would be a shame
if I don’t do anything
what will they think
in the poetry world
in arts and literature
they’ll take me for a eunuch!
May 2016
Tr. MW, June 2016
《梦（651）》
我和一位
相识不久的女诗人
睡在一张床上
同榻合衣抵足而眠
夜深人静
我开始蠢蠢欲动
心想：这么好的机会
要不干点什么
有点亏
如果我什么都不干
诗坛怎么看
文艺界怎么看
肯定把我当太监
《点射》
我的红线
是上世纪
八九十年代
之交的那一年
2016/6
Yi Sha 《点射》
SCHÜSSE
meine rote linie
ist das jahr zwischen
den 80er – und den 90er jahren
des letzten jahrhunderts
Juni 2016
Übersetzt von MW im Juni 2016
《点射》
应该承认
悼词越写越真实
结果暴露了
一个国家历史中
试图掩盖的部分
2016/6
Yi Sha 《点射》
SCHÜSSE
man muss eigentlich zugeben
je ehrlicher die todesanzeige
desto mehr zeigt sie
von den teilen der geschichte
die ein land verheimlichen will
Juni 2016
Übersetzt von MW im Juni 2016
《人情世故》
火爆脾气的舅舅死了
来了那么多悲伤的人
说明他曾是个好厂长
我这个做外甥的
被众亲戚当回事儿
说明我母亲人做得好
2016/6
Yi Sha 《人情世故》
WELT UND FAMILIE
der jähzornige onkel ist tot
so viele trauernde leute
bezeugen er war ein guter direktor
ich als der sohn seiner schwester
bin bei den verwandten gut angesehen
das ist das verdienst meiner mutter
Juni 2016
Übers. v. MW im Juni 2016
《唉》
此去送行
我差点认不出舅舅的
遗像和遗容了
因为我们已经19年
没见过面了
在这19年间
我4次去上海
都没有去他家
因为毎见一次
他都要问我工资
然后说我那在外企
工作的表妹的工资
是我的多少倍
2016
Yi Sha
OH! 《唉》
bei diesem begräbnis
hab ich meinen onkel fast gar nicht erkannt
auf dem letzten bild
es ist 19 jahre her
seit unserer letzten begegnung
in diesen 19 jahren
war ich vier mal in shanghai
aber ich bin nie zu ihm gegangen
denn bei jeder begegnung
muss er mich fragen wieviel ich verdiene
dann sagt er meine kusine
in ihrer ausländischen firma
bekommt ein vielfaches
Juni 2016
Übersetzt von MW im Juni 2016
Yi Sha 《外甥送舅》
ONKEL BEGLEITET
jedesmal vor einer reise
zünd ich drei räucherstäbchen an
vor dem bild meiner mutter
aber dieses mal
ist ein räucherstäbchen
von selbst abgebrochen
ich hör auf einmal mein herz
fürcht es kommt etwas schlechtes
herzinfarkt und tod meines onkels
ich seh meinen sohn auf dem uni-theater
der beijing normal university
die nachricht kommt bevor ich hineingeh
also wird meine reise nach peking und zhejiang
auch eine nach shanghai
in shanghai
bei der longhua-bestattung
begleit ich den onkel
schau wie sie ihn wegführen
im herz ruf ich mama
hier kommt dein kleiner bruder
Juni 2016
Übersetzt von MW im Juni 2016
《外甥送舅》
每次远行前
我都会在亡母的遗像前
进上三柱香
此次也不例外
但有一柱香
自己断了
我心里咯噔一声
怕有不好的事发生
接到舅舅心梗突发去世的噩耗
是在北师大
走进剧场看儿子演出的话剧前
于是我在这个夏天的京浙行
又多了一个沪
在上海
在龙华殡仪馆
我把舅舅送走了
望着他被拉走
我在心里叫了一声妈
我把你的弟弟
送到你那边去
2016/6
Li Si
2014-11-09
Yu Cui-fang 于翠芳 has grown old,
can only go to her grave.
Funeral music played on and on,
becoming a shroud,
big enough to wrap up a life.
Yu Cui-fang, I don’t know her at all.
I’m a young Chinese guy in a small town
Yu Cui-fang must be kin to our landlord,
downstairs they set up a funeral tent.
I just went down to empty the garbage,
all I could see were these three characters.
Yu Cui-fang has grown old,
funeral music played on and on.
I must get up early for my driver’s exam.
2014-11-09
Tr. MW, Nov. 2014
Xing Hao
JUNE
month of long days
and of strong sun
fresh-bought cabbage
curled at the sides
all turned to mush
it’s graduation day
the day I became a worker
at the cement factory
the day of the operation
my wife borrowed money for from everyone
the birthday of
one of my daughters
the day my father
dies
sun like an oven
there is no way to let father stay
after a hurried funeral
I lead my shaking mother back to the cave onto the kang
no sound from mother
all through the month
there is no sound
Tr. MW, July 2014
Chun Sue
QUESTIONS BEFORE GOING TO SLEEP
do you think you are an intellectual?
du you think you are an existentialist?
do you think you like to eat zha jiang mian?
do you think you are collecting antiques?
do you think you are following fashion?
do you think you have improved since you started?
do you think you have fulfilled your ideals?
do you think you’re a patriot?
do you think you love the truth?
do you think you dare to say it?
do you think you don’t fear retribution?
do you think you’re a good writer?
do you think you’re a poet?
do you think you’re a good mother?
do you think you’re a good father?
do you think you have loved?
do you think you are moral?
do you think microblogging makes China improve?
question mark mark mark
do you think they are prophets?
do you think you’re a groupie?
do you think there are things you don’t talk about?
do you think there are people you cannot offend?
do you think this novel is your autobiography?
do you think you have talent?
do you think your stuff is going to last?
do you think you have secrets?
do you think you have a big heart?
do you think you are fair to everyone?
do you think you’re responsible?
do you think you play by the rules?
do you think you have nothing to be ashamed of?
do you think you are self-important?
do you think you want revenge?
do you think you are scared of dying?
do you think you make people like you?
do you think you make people hate you?
do you think you have a future?
do you think you are falling behind?
do you think you are lonely?
do you think you are writing a poem?
this girl makes you crazy
let her go on babbling
asking herself
Tr. MW, June 2014
Chun Sue
DREAMING OF LIVING INSIDE A DREAM
Tr. MW, June 2014
Published in EPIPHANY magazine, fall 2014. Go on, look for this great Chinese Dream! I spent October 2014 at Vermont Studio Center with Yi Sha, editor of the daily New Century Poetry series 新世纪诗典. Chun Sue is one of the most well-known figures within this huge independent circle of poets.
Chun Sue
MORNING, AVENUE OF ETERNAL PEACE
Little Brother says: dad, Avenue of Eternal Peace
take a good look
This is the road you walked for over 20 years
I am sitting with Papa and Little Brother
I am almost crying
Finally I know
why I like the Avenue of Eternal Peace
Slowly the car passes the Military Museum
and the red walls of Zhongnanhai
and Xinhua Gate
Papa is small now he fits in an ash box
sitting between us
doesn’t take up much space
We pass the Gate of Heavenly Peace
and I see him
He stands on the square
watching us while we’re passing
Why was it so hard to write about you
You’re the son of a peasant
I was born in a village
I am also the child of a peasant
I put on army songs for you all night
Crying my heart out —
I like all that too.
2012-03-03
Tr. MW, May 2014
