On every guitar perches a bird
Blue
It does not chirp
Unless when music plays
Tong Xiaofeng, a Chinese poet and film director, shares his poetry
Tong Xiaofeng, born in Xi’an in 1963, is a Chinese poet and film director. He began publishing works in 1982 and has published the bilingual poetry collection Sixty-Six Poems (Hong Kong Gaoge Publishing House, 2010). He edited the “Ithaca Film Translation Series” (Nolan’s Cinematic World, Quentin’s Cinematic World, etc., The Commercial Press, 2023). As an independent play writer and director, he has created films such as Childhood Games (which won the Best Children’s Film at the “Lily Award” for digital films by the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television in 2005) and Treasure Map of Chang’an (2017).
English translated by Ma Yongbo
仝晓锋，1963年生于西安，诗人，电影导演，1982年起开始发表作品，出版中英双语诗集《诗六十六首》（香港高格出版社，2010）。主编“伊萨卡电影译丛”（《诺兰的电影世界》《昆丁的电影世界》等，商务印书馆，2023）。独立编导拍摄电影《童年游戏》（2005年获国家广电部数字电影“百合奖”最佳儿童片）和《长安藏宝图》（2017年）。
A Little Bird on the Guitar in the Past
On every guitar perches a bird
Blue
It does not chirp
Unless when music plays
Then you can see its shining beak and
Feathers
I once had such a guitar
And such a bird
It rested on my hand all day
Whenever I stroked the strings
It made the guitar’s soundboard
Overflow with the sea
In those days
I was at sea every day
Those were good times
Back then
I was still young
A girl has just been
On my mind.
***
昔日吉他上的一只小鸟
每把吉他上都停着一只小鸟
蓝色的
它不叫
除非有音乐的时候
你才可以看见它发亮的嘴 和
羽毛
过去我也有这样一把吉他
也有
这样一只鸟
它整天落在我的手上
只要我抚动琴弦
它就让琴板
溢出海水
那时
我天天都在海上
那时真好呵
那时
我还小
心里刚刚
掂着个女孩
***
Three Horses
For a long time now
Whenever the wind rises
Three horses
Will just stand outside the door
The sky is a wooden board
Nails are the stars
Whenever they stop
The road will glow
No one knows
How long they traveled
To reach today
To murmur softly
Offering silence and night
Three horses
Stand upright in the wind
Motionless
In their sad eyes
There is nothing but seawater
***
三匹马
已经很久了
起风的时候
三匹马
就立在门外
天空是木板
铁钉是星星
只要停下来
道路就会发亮
没有谁能知道
走了多少路
它们才抵达今天
才喃喃
献出寂静和夜色
三匹马
直立在风中
一动不动
他们悲伤的眼里
尽是海水
***
Amber
A small lamp, its flame has always burning within
For many years, it still listens inside
Tranquility lies beneath many leaves
It often hears the patter of rain
Hears birds gently tapping the sky
In its dreams, the sea dwells on spring trees
The trees are also round, and fish swim
Tiny lights leak in and float out
Deep in the flame it is very quiet.
In ancient times, it was young
Its beautiful wife slept in a flower for many years
The flower has fallen countless times
The flower has also turned into a leaf, now
Even the moonlight has changed, yet it remains young
Still listening to ancient wind and snow
A drop of water can also hold the red sun
Darkness has never fallen
It is warm
The flame keeps shining inside
Oh, this small lamp
For many years
***
琥珀
一盏灯，小小的，火光一直在里面亮着
很多年了，它仍在里面聆听，
宁静在许多叶子下面
它常听见点点的雨声
听见鸟轻轻叩击天空
在它的梦里，海水都住在春天的树上
树也圆圆的，鱼儿在游动
细小的光漏进来又飘出去
火光深处很静，古代的时候它就很年轻
它有过美丽的妻子
妻子在一朵花里睡着很多年了
花不知落过多少次了
花也变成了叶子，如今
月色也都变了，它仍很年轻，
仍在聆听古时的风雪
一滴水也会系住红红的太阳，
始终没有黑暗降临
它很温暖
火光一直在里面亮着，
小小的一盏灯呀
很多年了
____________________
Read: Gazing at Stars – Poetry from China
