Alone, I gaze eye to eye with a stretch of river,
The current shimmering pale white. Around me,
Nothing but a few trees and a clump of reeds.
Liu Bingqi is a poet and novelist residing in Changsha. His works have appeared in numerous periodicals, including Literature of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, Star Poetry Monthly, Poetry Monthly, Lotus, Genesis, Hunan Literature, Xiangjiang Literature and Art, Zhejiang Poets, Oasis, Green Wind, Spark, Poetry Tide, Contemporary People, Olive Green, Special Zone Literature, Young Writers, Literary Port, Creation, Avant-Garde Literature, Prose Poetry, Yellow River Literature, Coconut City, Yan’an Literature, and Writers’ Village. Many of his pieces have been anthologized. He has published four full-length novels, among which Traces of a Grand Dream Fade Away is his representative work.
刘炳琪，诗人、小说家，现居长沙。作品散见《解放军文艺》《星星》《诗刊》《芙蓉》《创世纪》《湖南文学》《湘江文艺》《浙江诗人》《绿洲》《绿风》《火花》《诗潮》《当代人》《橄榄绿》《特区文学》《青年作家》《文学港》《创作》《前卫文学》《散文诗》《黄河文学》《椰城》《延安文学》《作家村》等。多部作品被收入文集。著有长篇小说《大梦无痕》等四部
Translated by Ma Yongbo
By the River
Alone, I gaze eye to eye with a stretch of river,
The current shimmering pale white. Around me,
Nothing but a few trees and a clump of reeds.
I am the only upright shape left on the sandbar.
I have no wish to utter a word to the sunlight.
My shadow, the trees’ shadows
vanish the moment the sun slips behind clouds.
I can only fix my gaze on a lone waterfowl,
and picture the tender warmth of fish beneath the surface.
No boats drift on the water. All boats perished years ago.
The bridge stands as an everlasting tombstone.
Wind brushes my forehead, as if the whole afternoon
keeps repeating one truth to me:
Death holds no terror, others carry on living in their stead.
河边
一个人，与一段河流对视
流水泛着白光。我的周围
除了几棵树，一丛芦苇
我是沙滩仅剩的高度
并不想对阳光说些什么
我的影子，树的影子
太阳一进云层，就不见了
只能把目光落向那只水鸟
想象鱼儿的温情
河面没有船。船在多年前死去
桥成了永恒的墓碑
风从额前拂过，仿佛整个下午
都在向我陈述同一件事：
死并不可怕，有人替他继续活
***
Standing Alone by the Xiang River
Night spreads like thick ink. I cannot make out the river’s rolling waves,
only water pounding the embankment, sending sprays flying.
Lights glimmer on the far bank, blurring all fine shapes,
their reflections rippling and flickering on the current.
Streams of cars hurry to and fro along the shore;
not a single soul pauses. This vast, hollow quiet
feels reserved solely for me. I wonder
if I were a boat, would I sound my horn
to call down a handful of stars? The night hangs far too still.
Wind is forever the river’s devout follower:
it sweeps across the water, then brushes over me,
passes through my frame, and drifts toward the trees.
When nothing soft remains to stir, it tugs at tall buildings and bridges,
as if every trace of silence must be roused to life.
Yet I am no faint, half-hidden sandbar far out on the water,
forced to endure endless drifting to simply exist.
I only wish to linger a little longer. All grace in life
resides in fleeting instants just like this moment
cool current brushing gently over my insteps,
and I sink into hush beside the river, one with the sandbank.
独立湘江
夜色如墨。我看不清一江波浪
唯水拍堤岸，溅起浪花
彼岸灯光，并不刻画细节
把倒影弄得闪闪烁烁
车水马龙。在岸边
没有人停下来。这辽阔的空旷
像为我一人所有。我想
如果我是一艘船，会不会用汽笛
唤来几颗星星。它们太静了
风永远是水的信徒
吹过水，然后吹我
吹过我，然后吹向树木
都吹不动时，就吹高楼，吹桥
仿佛所有的沉默，都必须生动起来
但我并不是远处若隐若现的洲
非要流失中存在
我只是想多待一会。人生的美好
宛若某些短暂的时光，也如此刻
流水轻轻抚摸我的脚背
我和沙滩一样，沉浸水边
***
Morning by the Lake
At the touch of wind, the lake ripples into a smile.
Who else wanders through reeds and thin mist,
keeping company with the fish as I do?
The covered bridge stretches not far,
yet every step draws a tender romantic echo back to me.
Songs drift down the hills, figures linger along the shore,
morning hours drip with glistening water drops,
I wonder how many such gentle days
have left vivid marks upon this lake.
I spare no thought for the lake’s hidden depth
its waters run crystal clear.
No need to ponder the long road ahead,
nor plan what tasks await me later.
Each brand-new day ought to be like life itself:
steady, and full of joy.
Sunlight has not yet arrived.
A cozy warmth edged with faint coolness
spreads soft through every part of my body.
I long to stroll a while longer,
toward the pavilion, down to the sandbank,
unhurried, light as reed catkins,
to carry home the quiet serenity of the lake.
湖的早晨
风一吹，湖水就笑
有谁和我一样，穿行芦苇与薄雾
与鱼儿相伴？廊桥不算长
每走一步，都会浪漫和我回应
山上有歌声，湖边有人影
早晨的时间，滴着水滴
我想，有多少这样的日子
给一个湖泊留下生动
不去想湖水的深度，它们那么清澈
不去想还有多长的路要走
不去想接下来要做什么
对于一个新的白天，总要像生活那样
可靠，快乐
阳光还未到来。暖中带凉的舒适
从身体四处漫延
我还想走一走，到亭子，到沙滩
不急不忙，像芦絮那样
将湖的淡泊，带回家
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