宋琳 Song Lin
THE PIER REACHING OUT TO THE SEA
Floating in uncertainty. Of the infinite blue sea,
a tiny extension, the pier.
Like a goodbye gesture,
a silk handkerchief, or a kiss,
Of the fated distance, ,
a tiny extension, the pier..
Someone gazing out to sea,
gazes for the sake of gazing.
The shape of the pier in his memory
resembles a birdwing or star beam.
When ships set sail, each reflection
incessantly floats down before his eyes.
By no means is the pier self-sufficient on the shore,
simply afloat there, it extends meanings just a tiny bit.
Translated by Li Dian
伸向大海的栈桥
漂浮不定。对于大海蓝色的终极，
只不过延伸了一点儿。
像一个告别的手势，
一方丝帕，或一个吻，
对于命定的距离
只不过延伸了一点儿。
眺望大海的人，
为了眺望而眺望，
栈桥在他记忆中的形式
与鸟翅或星光相似。
船在开，影子就会
在他眼前不停飘落。
并非栈桥可以在岸上自足，
只不过漂浮使意义延伸了一点儿。
EN ROUTE
In Mannheim, as I exit the train station the starry midnight sky
burns with a pallid flame, music spills from windows.
Tall Buttonwood, dark towers,
heavy thick curtains with graceful shadows behind.
No companion, no place to sleep,
the hour of despair! The ones I missed still sparkle in the distance.
A wild rabbit flees into a small grove, stale fallen leaves sigh
and a pair of dew-soaked feet comfort one another.
Nightclub is closing when the last streetlight on the outskirts goes out,
and someone carrying a shovel approaches the gate of the public cemetery.
Bummed around all night, in this unfamiliar city, now
daybreak urges me to sleep, in an empty car I feel quite warm.
Translated by Li Dian
途中
在曼海姆，我走出火车站。午夜的星空
燃烧着苍白的火，音乐泄出窗口。
高高的梧桐树，黑黢的塔楼，
厚重的窗帘后面人影绰约。
没有伴侣，没有投宿之地，
绝望的时刻！错过的犹闪烁在远方。
野兔窜向小树林，落叶陈腐的叹息
与沾满露水的双足彼此安慰。
夜总会已收场，城边的最后一盏街灯熄了。
一个扛着铁铲的人走向公墓的门。
游荡了一夜，在这陌生的城市。现在
晨曦催我入睡，空空的车箱里我感觉温暖。
(Translator李点：Li Dian is Associate Professor of East Asian Studies at Arizona University with a PhD from University of Michigan.)
PoetryEastWest 