The Changing Room: Selected poetry of Zhai Yongming

Climbing the Heights on the Double Ninth

126 重阳登高 ——遍插茱萸少一人 思亲问题 友爱问题 一切问题中最动人的 全都是登高的问题 都是会当凌绝顶时 把盏的问题 今朝一人 我与谁长谈 ? 遥望远处 据称是江北 白练入川是一条，还是两条 ? 汇向何处 都让我喜欢 在江北以远 是无数美人 男人们登高 都想得到她们 尽管千年之内 哺乳动物 和人类 倒一直 保持着生态平衡 今朝我一人把盏 江山变色 青色三春消耗了我 九九这个数字 如今又要 轮回我的血脉 远处一俯一仰的山峰 赤裸着跳入我怀中 我将只有毫无用处地 享受艳阳 127 CLIMBInG tHe HeIGHts on tHe DoUBLe nIntH — People all around adorned with flowers, but someone is missing the problem of longing for family the problem of brotherly love the most touching problem of all is climbing the heights When you’ve reached a pinnacle and raise a cup today i am alone who is there to talk to? taking in a distant view what people call the north Bank is that a single white ribbon joining the river, or are there two? Wherever those twined currents go i’ll be content Beyond the north Bank are beautiful women without number every man who climbs these heights will think of them even if in the next thousand years mammals and humans merge into one maintaining the balance of nature today i raise a cup alone while river and mountains change color the green months of spring depleted me this figure, “nine nine” is once again reborn in my veins Faraway peaks above and below Plunge naked into my heart it’s useless but all i can do is enjoy the glorious sunshine 128 思伤脾 醉也伤脾 飒飒风声几万 ? 呼应谁来临 ? 饮酒入喉 它落到身体最深处 情欲和生死问题 离别和健康问题 也入喉即化 也落到最深处 它们变得敏捷 又绵密 它们醉了 也无处不在 129 Longing is miserable Being drunk is miserable too how many sighs in the soughing of the wind? Who will answer my echo? Wine poured down the throat flows into the body’s deepest reaches Problems of desire and mortality Problems of separation and health also change inside the throat and flow into the body’s deepest reaches they become nimble yet meticulous they’re drunk and they’re everywhere Zhai Yongming notes that she wrote this poem after climbing Xisha Mountain in Nanjing on the Double Ninth. The Double Ninth is a festival that takes place every autumn, on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month. The original meaning of the festival may have been related to driving away bad luck, but it has long been an occasion for outings, especially hikes in the hills to some viewpoint, for chrysanthemum viewing, and for drinking chrysanthemum wine. Traditionally, people also wore zhuyu flowers on this day, for good luck. The epigram is taken from a poem by the Tang dynasty poet, Wang Wei (699–759 Ce), “Missing My Shandong Brothers on the Ninth Day of the Ninth Month” (九月九日忆山东兄弟). ...