Where the qin lies, its melody lingers on, I and Ji Kang
our fates stitched in the same pair of trousers.
Han Yuguang
Han Yuguang, male, born in Yuanping City, Shanxi Province in July 1970. He began writing poetry in the late 1980s and has published poetry collections The Moon of 1970 and Light Catcher.
韩玉光，男，1970年7月生于山西原平市，二十世纪80年代后期开始诗歌写作，出版诗集《1970年的月亮》《捕光者》。
Translate by Ma Yongbo
Half of Spring
Where the qin lies, its melody lingers on, I and Ji Kang
our fates stitched in the same pair of trousers.
I have wandered crashing into the Southern Mountain time and again
certain history books are never worth glancing back at, true enough
I share one straw hat together with Tao Yuanming.
The whole spring is a pair of embroidered cloth shoes
Li Bai took one away for his journey, time will never treat me unfairly
it shall reserve the other shoe for me
only a shoelace is missing, no great matter.
Look at the Hutuo River
rushing forth, coming straight from the north of the county town.
二分之一的春天
琴在，琴声就在，我和嵇康
的确穿着一条裤子。
南山撞了无数回
有些史书不值得回头看，没错
我和陶渊明戴着同一顶帽子。
整个春天是一双绣花鞋
李白穿走一只，时间不会亏待我
会把另一只留给我
还差一根鞋带，不要紧
你看滹沱河
正从县城的北面赶来。
***
Ode to the Zither
I am worthy of but one zither all my life
at least twice each day
when my fingers brush my ribs, the urge to play surges up.
Leanness is undoubtedly an inherited grace
the strings of my zither
are unlike any others beneath heaven.
This ancient qin clad in mortal flesh, untouched by gods or ghosts
I play and sing alone to myself.
What trembles upon the strings
is not my own shuddering.
It is the shadow
I can never shake off through all my years—
this posthumous child of light!
琴赋
我这一生只配有一把琴
每天至少两次
在摸到自己肋骨的时候，生出弹奏的念头。
瘦，无疑是遗传的美学
我的琴弦
不同于世上别的琴
这披着人皮的古琴，神鬼也不能染指。
我自弹自唱
琴弦上泛起的
并非自己的颤抖
而是我
一生都甩不掉的影子——
这光的遗腹子！
***
The Low Ground
Stepping out onto the wilderness alone
all mortal distractions melt away entirely—
Fallen leaves swirling thick may serve for my flesh
the setting sun sinking into the river
may become my heart
Once the horizon
fills my field of vision, I behold the years gone by
Half my life has already been buried deep
no more burying
this is my bottom line
低处
一个人来到旷野上
已然杂念全消——
那落叶纷飞，可做我的身体
那落日沉河
可做我的心
而一旦地平线
成了我的视线，就会看见岁月
已埋了我的半生
不能再埋了
这是我的底线
___________________
Read: Laozi and the Butterfly – Chinese Poetry
