Chen Hsiu-chen
Chen Hsiu-chen is the executive editor of “Li” poetry magazine. She has published several books including ‘Non-diary’ 2009, ‘String Echo in Forest’ 2010, ‘Mask’ 2016, ‘Uncertain Landscape’ 2017, ‘Promise’ 2017, ‘Poetry Feeling in Tamsui’ 2018, ‘Fracture’ 2018, ‘My Beloved Neruda’ 2020, ‘Virus takes no rest’ 2021, ‘Encountering with Cesar Vallejo’ 2022, and ‘Heaven on Earth’ 2022. Some of her poems have been translated into more than 20 languages. She participated various national and international poetry festivals in Bangladesh, Macedonia, Peru, Tunisia, Chile, Vietnam, Romania and Mexico from 2015 to 2021, won ‘Morning Star Prize’ from Peru in 2018 and ‘Naji Naaman Literary Prizes’ from Lebanon in 2020.
People and God
The people on both sides of the war
Believe the same God.
The left side insists——the truth is ours,
The right side insists——the justice is ours.
Both sides face toward the same God at same time
To pray for the victory on the same battlefield.
The God is separated into two halves
And caught in a dilemma.
The people on both sides of the war
Believe different Gods.
Both sides face toward own God to pray
For the victory on the same battlefield.
The left side insists own to be victory,
The right side insists opposite to be defeated.
The war between people and people
Becomes an innocent war
Between God and God.
The people utilize missiles to decide
Whose God
Is a real one.
(Translated by Kuei–shien Lee)
***
人佮神 (Taiwanese）
戰爭的雙方
信仰共款的神
倒爿深深相信 真理企在家己這爿
正爿深深相信 公義企在家己這爿
雙方同時向共款的神
求保庇共一個戰場的勝利
神家己分裂做兩爿
不知欲安怎才好
戰爭的雙方
信仰無共款的神
雙方分別拜請家己的神
保庇共一個戰場勝利
倒爿深深相信家己這爿穩贏
正爿深深相信對方穩輸
人佮人的戰爭演變成
無辜的
神佮神的戰爭
人用砲彈決定
誰的神
才是真神
***
The Dream
The dream, a little beast
With charms,
Is favored like a rose.
I hug him,
Kiss him,
I caress him,
Feed him the starry sky all night.
He is my sole pet.
The dream
Chews the stars
One, two, three…
He starts to take possession of
Your twinkling starry eyes.
Oh, my Neruda,
Now his eyes glow brightly.
I am starting to see clearly
That he has your rose red lips
And soft hair in night shade.
What most important is
His hands learn to follow your syntax.
I swear that
He is the most powerful poet
With words as his weapons.
Sometimes
He hides in the jungle for a joke
Let me impatient
Since I am getting blinder.
Oh, my Neruda,
The dream fangs finished chewing the starry sky all night
Then turned around to chew
The Adam’s ribs deserted to me
That makes me a drastic pain
Indescribable.
(English Translation by Lee Kuei-shien)
***
夢The Dream
夢是一隻小獸
擁有美色
與玫瑰一般受寵
我擁抱他
親吻他
我愛撫他
我餵食他整夜星空
他是我唯一寵物
夢
嚼食星星
一顆、兩顆、三顆……
他開始擁有你
星光閃爍的眼睛
聶魯達啊
他眼睛燃放光芒
我開始清楚看見
他擁有你玫瑰紅唇
像夜色的柔髮
最重要
他的手學會你的句法
我發誓
他是以文字為武器
最厲害的詩人
有時
他惡作劇藏身密林
讓越來越目盲的我
心急
聶魯達啊
夢的獠牙嚼完整夜星空
轉頭嚼食
亞當捨給我的肋骨
使我有說不出的
痛
____________________
