The Changing Room: Selected poetry of Zhai Yongming

The First Month

12 第一月 ——辛丑土 闭轸 春社：二月十六日 仿佛早已存在，仿佛早已就序 我走来，声音概不由己 它把我安顿在朝南的厢房 第一次来我就赶上漆黑的日子 到处都有脸型相像的小径 凉风吹得我苍白寂寞 玉米地在这种时刻精神抖擞 我来到这里，听到双鱼星的嗥叫 又听见敏感的夜抖动不已 极小的草垛散布肃穆 脆弱唯一的云像孤独的野兽 蹑足走来，含有坏天气的味道 如同与我相逢成为值得理解的内心 鱼竿在水面滑动，忽明忽灭的油灯 热烈沙哑的狗吠使人默想 昨天巨大的风声似乎了解一切 不要容纳黑树 每个角落布置一次杀机 忍受布满人体的时刻 现在我可以无拘无束地成为月光 13 from the series TRANquiL viLLAGe tHe FIRst MontH Xinchou, earth illness and early death Spring Sacrifice to the earth: February 16 as if it had been there all along, as if by prior arrangement i arrived, and a voice beyond my control Placed me in a south-facing wing i arrived just in time for the pitch black days every footpath looked the same Breezes chilled me pale and lonely While the cornfields pulsed with energy When i arrived, i heard the roaring of Pisces and the endless trembling of the sensitive night tiny haystacks spread out in a solemn array one feeble cloud, like a solitary wild animal moved in on tiptoe, with a taste of foul weather as if meeting me gave it a heart to match its shape Fishing poles gliding over the water, flickering oil lamps Fierce and ragged, the barking of dogs plunges me into thought Yesterday’s howling wind seemed to comprehend everything to say nothing of those black trees murderous traps are set in every corner i’ve endured the moment that covered my body and can now become moonlight, unfettered 14 已婚夫妇梦中听见卯时雨水的声音 黑驴们靠着石磨商量明天 那里，阴阳混合的土地 对所有年月了如指掌 我听见公鸡打鸣 又听见轱辘打水的声音 15 a husband and wife hear the sound of pre-dawn rain in their dreams Black donkeys lean against a millstone, talking about tomorrow there, the soil where yin and yang intermingle Knows each year by heart i hear a cock’s crow and a windlass drawing water from a well Xinchou refers to a time in the traditional Chinese calendar, spanning the first and second months of the lunar year, from Xiaohan in the first month to Lichun in the second month (1月小寒到 2月立春) ...