Rain is coming, and I am no longer young.
The sky darkens fast, clouds seem to grow legs.
Hailing from China, Zhao Xuesong is a poet, essayist and calligrapher. His poetry collections include Selected Poems of Xuesong, Ahead Lies the Place Before Us, I Witnessed the Fall of That Leaf and Striking a Match. His prose works consist of Draught Wind, My Tuhai River, Writing on the Land and other volumes. He has received numerous honors such as the Qilu Literature Prize for Poetry, the Exploratory Poetry Award of Poetry Monthly, Qilu Prose Prize, Taishan Literary and Art Creation Award for Poetry, and Rougang Poetry Prize.
赵雪松，诗人、散文随笔作家、书法家。出版个人诗集《雪松诗选》《前方，就是前面的一个地方》《我参与了那片叶子的飘落》《划亮火柴》，散文随笔集《穿堂风》《我的徒骇河》《大地书写》等。曾获齐鲁文学奖（诗歌奖），《诗歌月刊》探索诗奖，齐鲁散文奖，泰山文艺奖文学创作奖（诗歌奖），柔刚诗歌奖等。
Translated by Ma Yongbo
Rain Coming
Rain is coming, and I am no longer young.
The sky darkens fast, clouds seem to grow legs.
Being past youth sets a pace — I stroll along carelessly.
Rain draws near, passers-by quicken their steps,
And their haste rubs off on me.
I keep dwelling on my fading years,
While thinking — rain is coming.
There are two ways to run: seek shelter, or rejoice in the rain.
As I linger in hesitation,
The first raindrop falls, extremely huge
Striking my aging face once more.
要下雨了 要下雨了，我已不再年轻。 天色越来越暗，云像长出双腿。 不再年轻是一种节奏——我漫不经心地走着。 要下雨了，路上的行人开始变得匆忙， 他们感染着我。 我已不再年轻，我只想着这事，同时 也想着——要下雨了。 奔跑有两种选择：躲起来，或者是在雨天欢呼。 就在我犹豫之间 第一颗雨点，硕大无比 落下来，打在我再次变老的脸上。
***
Gazing at the Starry Sky
On a winter night, I stepped away from the smoky card table to make water,
I looked up abruptly and beheld the starry sky:
Profound, boundless and breathtaking.
It was like someone long dead
Suddenly appearing before my eyes.
In childhood, deities dwelt among the stars,
— Gods to whom I could pour out all my wishes,
Later, they vanished without a trace,
Yet the firmament always stretched overhead.
Now those spellbound stars
Tremble like riddles, just as dice settle on the table.
望星空 冬夜，我从烟雾缭绕的牌桌上出来撒尿， 冷不丁抬头看见星空： 深邃、辽阔、触目惊心。 就像一个死去多年的人 突然出现在眼前。 小时候，星空里住着神 ——我可以说出心中一切愿望的神， 后来音讯全无， 尽管星空始终横亘在头顶。 此刻，那些仿佛施过咒语的星星， 谜一样颤抖，就像骰子在桌面上刚刚落定。
***
Watching TV
I watch television with my young grandson,
On screen we see a man
Leading a young lamb into the street.
Suddenly he presses his foot hard on the lamb’s face,
Then swiftly drives a knife into its neck,
His movements are crisp and casual,
As if it were a trivial, effortless deed.
In an instant, I hastily cover the child’s eyes,
He fails to witness the brutal scene,
All he sees are the big, shiny leather shoes,
And the lamb’s light, carefree steps
That once seemed tinged with joy.
Grandson pulls free from my grasp, gazing at me in puzzlement,
The same confusion the lamb never got to show.
看电视 我和小孙子一块儿看电视， 我们看见一名男子 牵着一只小羊来到大街上。
突然，男子一脚踩住小羊的脸，
顺势一刀刺进它的脖子，
动作干净利落，仿佛那是一件
不值得费劲的事。 一刹那，我急忙捂住孩子的双眼。 他没有看见这一幕， 他只看见那双皮鞋，又大、又亮， 只看见那只小羊走出去时那么轻快 甚至有些快乐的脚步。 孙子挣脱我的手，疑惑地看我 就像那只小羊没有来得及表示的疑惑一样。
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