We climb up the mountain 

Not for the wind at the summit 

Nor for the moon at the summit 

Xicun Duzha is an eminent poet from China

Xicun Duzha was born in Pujiang, Zhejiang Province in September 1969. He began writing poetry in the late 1980s and turned to novel-writing in the early 21st century. His works include six poetry collections: Selected Poems of Xi-cun Du-zha, Hair, Line 3, Breasts and the Moon, Beneath, and Non-Existent Poems; one full-length novel, The Equator; and his novella In Memory of the Maiden Pan Jinlian went viral online. Some of his works have been translated into English, Japanese, Korean, Dutch, and other languages.

西村独扎， 1969年9月生于浙江浦江。上个世纪八十年代末开始写诗，本世纪初开始写小说。著有诗集《西村独扎诗选》《发》《三号线》《乳房与月亮》《在下面》《不存在的诗篇》等六部，长篇小说《赤道》；中篇小说《纪念少女潘金莲》曾在网络盛传。部分作品被译为英语、日语、韩语、荷兰语等。

Translated by Ma Yongbo

Wind at the Summit 

Wind at the summit 

Unlike wind at the foot of the mountain 

Not the same 

 

Moon at the summit 

Unlike moon at the foot of the mountain 

Not the same either 

 

We climb up the mountain 

Not for the wind at the summit 

Nor for the moon at the summit 

***

山顶的风

山顶的风

和山脚的风

不一样

 

山顶的月亮

和山脚的月亮

也不一样

 

我们爬上山去

不是为了山顶的风

也不是为了山顶的月亮

***     

Passing Er Ya’s house, I glanced at her window 

Passing Er Ya’s house, I glanced at her window

That glance carries profound meaning for some

Yet none for others

The key lies in who you are 

Are you someone of Er Ya’s family

Someone of mine

Or someone of another’s  

***

路过二丫的家我朝她家的窗口看了一眼

路过二丫的家我朝她家的窗口看了一眼

这一眼对有人而言颇有深意

对有人而言毫无意义

关键是你是谁

你是二丫家的谁

还是我家的谁

或者是别人家的谁

***               

The Apple-Peeling Woman 

The woman who peels apples 

Snatched the apple from my hand

And the knife too

In just a few dozen seconds

She peeled it clean 

And handed it back

Her eyes fixed on me

Blinking a couple of times

But I only looked at the apple

Didn’t glance at her even after finishing it  

***     

削苹果的女人

削苹果的女人

从我手里抢过苹果

还有那把刀

她用几十秒时间

把苹果削好

递给我

眼睛看着我

还眨巴几下

而我只看着苹果

吃完苹果也没有看她

***

Weight 

I love it when cats 

Lie on me 

As they sleep

A feeling of pressure

And 

The weight is just right

***

重量

我喜欢猫咪

趴在我身上

睡觉

有压迫的感觉

而且

重量刚刚好

________________________

Read: The Other Shore – Poetry from China