A Phone Call From Dalian: Selected Poetry of Han Dong

26. Night Flight

56 夜航 和做服装生意的朋友一起旅行 他去进货，我参加一个文学会议 穿过夜晚的停机坪 我们走向那架童年的飞机 夜航，轻微的振动，有如摇篮 舷窗如同一块黑板 乡村的孩子涂抹星星 此刻我们在云层里或波涛下 空姐的微笑在一本画册上 叮零，并非上课的铃声 却降下柔和的阅读灯光 守纪律的学生将自己束在座椅上 分发食物，在更遥远的托儿所 稍后的寄宿生活里发出一片咀嚼之声 我的左耳疼痛，拒绝听讲的报应 波及脑袋，对政治的厌烦 而现在我们脱离了家长 自作主张，把前途交付给 一次危险的大人的游戏 让我们信任那物理课的高才生吧！ 当年，那数学第一的同学为我们购买了保险 那身体轻盈犹如一张纸片的 正带着我们一起飞 后来做了我们忠实妻子的 还在我们高傲的俯视的下面 57 Night Flight* I travelled with a friend in the clothing business He to replenish his stock, and I to attend a literature conference Walking across the tarmac at night We approached the aeroplane of childhood Night flight, a gentle rocking like a cradle The window resembles a blackboard Daubed with stars by village children But now we are in the clouds or beneath the waves A stewardess smiles from a glossy magazine A ringing that is not a class bell Yet a soft light shines down for reading Obedient pupils are confined to their seats And wait for their meal in a distant kindergarten From boarding school there soon comes the sound of chewing My left ear hurts; punishment for my refusal to listen It has affected my brain, and made me sick of politics But now that we are free of our parents We have decided for ourselves to entrust the future To a dangerous game for adults Let’s put our faith in the top physics student! The one who came first in math that year bought insurance for us The one whose body was as light as a sheet of paper Is taking us flying now Those who became our faithful wives Are still subjected to our arrogant gaze 58 广州，炎热而陌生的异地 当年的同学迎接我 他是救护队员，今晚空闲 他和我们一起遗忘了那架飞机 59 Guangzhou, a hot and unfamiliar land My former classmate has come to meet me He is an ambulance man, off duty tonight The three of us forget all about the plane (1994) * This series of five poems, beginning with “Night Flight,” was written after Han Dong’s first visit to the then-brashly new city of Shenzhen. ...