Don’t shake the yellow leaves from that tree— 

They are butterflies dancing gracefully in autumn, 

Flapping their beautiful wings…

Zhang Tiehu is an acclaimed poet of China

Zhang Tiehu is a committee member of the Yanliang District Literature and Art Association in Xi’an, a cultural advisor to Fuping People website, and a member of the Shaanxi Calligraphers Association. He has long been committed to literary creation and the promotion of local culture. His poems, essays, and translations have appeared in prestigious publications such as Stars Poetry Journal, Shaanxi Translation Forum, and The Chinese Regional Poetry Yearbook. His work has also been published on platforms including the China Armed Police Network and the Fuping People website.

张铁虎，西安市阎良区文联委员、《富平人》文化顾问、陕西省书法家协会会员，长期致力于文学创作与地方文化传播。其诗歌、散文及翻译作品见诸《星星诗刊》《陕西译苑》《汉语地域诗歌年鉴》《西安晚报》等权威刊物，并多次在《中国武警》网、《富平人》网等平台发表。

Translated by Ma Yongbo

Don’t Shake the Yellow Leaves from That Tree

Don’t shake the yellow leaves from that tree— 

They are butterflies dancing gracefully in autumn, 

Flapping their beautiful wings, 

Awakening footprints that have long been asleep.

 

Don’t—don’t shake the yellow leaves from that tree, 

They are still waiting on the branch for that year’s snow, 

Waiting for a tall, thin young man with a scarf, 

To tell them, in the cold wind, the hopes of a lifetime.

 

Don’t shake the yellow leaves from that tree— 

Let the crisp sound of them drift farther on the wind.

 

The man of that year, the bright moon of that year, 

And a lifetime of farewell…

***

不要摇落那一树黄叶

不要摇落那一树黄叶

那是秋天里  翩翩飞舞的蝴蝶

鼓动那美丽的双翅

唤醒着沉睡已久的足迹

 

不要  摇落那一树黄叶

它在枝头还等着  那年的 那场雪

等着一位围着围脖的瘦高个子青年

在寒风里  向它诉说一生的期许

 

不要  摇落那一树黄叶

让它清脆的响声随风飘得更远

 

那年的人  那年的明月

一辈子的  离  别

***

In the Autumn Wind, I and My Shadow

A tidal wave of people surges toward me, 

I know they will pass quickly, 

And so will I— 

Just like all the leaves fall from the tree on a single autumn day.

 

At a certain age, 

People begin to resemble plants more and more: 

Greening, reddening, flourishing, withering— 

All is fate.

 

Autumn is the season of settling debts, 

What is shaken off is the heaviness of a full cycle,

Sprouting and prosperity belong to spring and summer, 

The cold wind wrapped in snowflakes is winter’s ruthlessness.

 

I wake suddenly from a dream: 

The sun is in the sky, 

Sometimes my shadow follows me,

Sometimes I follow the shadow.

***

秋风里，我与影子

潮水般的人群迎面涌来

我知道他们会很快经过

我也会

就像满树的叶子在秋季某一天全部落掉

 

到了一定年龄

人会长得越来越像植物

绿了 红了 荣了 枯了

都是宿命

 

秋是还债的季节

抖落的是一个轮回的沉重

萌动繁华属于春夏

加裹雪花的寒风是冬的无情

 

梦中惊醒

太阳在天上

有时影子跟着我

有时我随影

***

In a Past Life, I Was a Bird

I think, in a past life, 

I was a bird— 

An ordinary-looking bird with a melancholy cry. 

Back then, I so longed 

 

To use my silent beak 

To make some sound 

On the calendar, 

Or to build a nest 

In your dreams.

My song from the branch 

 

Was like a silk scarf 

Floating on your chest in winter, 

Or a small stone 

Tossed into the air beneath the elm’s shade in summer, 

Or the tiny buds on tender branches in spring. 

 

I pick the withered pomegranates that still remain from this autumn, 

And wish I could peck at them like a bird. 

My dear birds,

 

When you fly, could you take me

Who has fallen into this human world with you

And this nostalgia for the mortal world?

***

前世的我是一只鸟

我想，前世的我

就是一只鸟

一只相貌平平、叫声凄婉的鸟

那时多么想

 

用岑寂的喙

在日历上

制造出点响声

或者在你的梦里

筑个窝

我枝头的鸣啭

 

正是冬日里

飘在你胸前的丝巾

夏天榆荫下

抛在空中的小石子，春季

嫩枝上的点点芽苞

 

我摘下今秋尚存的干瘪石榴

真想像鸟儿一样啄食

我可爱的鸟儿们

 

飞翔的时候

可否带上坠落人间的我

还有，这尘世的乡愁

_________________________

Read: The Gray Bird – Poetry from China