A peasant woman bending to transplant rice seedlings 

A stylus that touches the earth’s vinyl record.

Ye Lin, originally named Yang Chunsheng, is an eminent poet from China   

Ye Lin, originally named Yang Chunsheng, started writing in 1987, and his works have been published in media both at home and abroad. He currently resides in Dalian and serves as the Chief Health Management Expert at N21 International Organization.

夜林，原名杨春生，1987年开始写作，作品见于国内外媒体。现居大连，为N21国际机构首席健康管理专家。

Translated by Ma Yongbo

Spring Melody

A peasant woman bending to transplant rice seedlings 

A stylus that touches the earth’s vinyl record 

 

The so-called soul-stirring moment 

Is not the violent storm 

Nor the lightning and thunder 

But a flock of birds hiding in the woods 

Holding back their chirps, daring not to sing first 

Waiting for the overture 

 

The azure of the sky also calms down 

The drifting white clouds even stretch out their ears 

 

There are some people 

Who, even if they bend over for a lifetime 

Will still curve themselves into a musical note 

And plunge into the earth 

To drive those frog croaks in the muddy water 

Out of the rice fields, and toward the midst of the crowd 

***

春曲

一个弯腰插秧的农妇

一枚触到大地唱片的唱针

 

所谓惊心动魄

不是暴风骤雨

不是电闪雷鸣

而是一群飞鸟藏在树林里

憋着鸟鸣  先不敢出声

等着序曲

 

天空的蔚蓝也安静下来

飘动的白云也伸出了耳朵

 

有人

即使一生都弯着腰

也要弯成一个音符

插入大地

把泥水里的那些蛙鸣

赶出稻田  赶向人群之中

***

Some People

Some people walk 

Never looking back 

As they keep walking 

They gradually become 

A monument 

 

Some monuments stand 

Never bowing their heads 

As they keep standing 

They gradually become 

A person. 

***

有些人

有些人走着

从不回头

走着走着

便成了

一座碑

 

有些碑立着

从不低头

立着立着

便成了

一个人

***

By the Seaside

On the sandy beach 

A little girl 

Buried her dad and mom in the sand one after another 

Leaving only their faces exposed 

 

The little girl laughs happily 

And her dad and mom laugh too 

 

Later, the little girl says to them: 

“Don’t move at all 

I’m going to bury myself too” 

 

The little girl lies down on her own 

But after lying down 

No matter how hard she tries to bury herself 

She just can’t do it 

 

Mom and Dad watch their anxious daughter 

At first, they still smile 

But as they keep smiling 

The smiles on both their faces fade away 

And tears streamed down 

 

They turn their heads to look at me 

As if saying: 

“Please, please don’t 

Change the title of this poem By the Seaside 

To In the World”. 

***

在海边

沙滩上

一个小姑娘

先后把爸爸妈妈

都埋在了沙子下面

只让他们露出一张脸

 

小姑娘开心地笑了

爸爸妈妈也笑了

 

后来小姑娘对爸妈说：

你们都别动

我也埋下我自己

 

小姑娘自己躺下了

但倒下之后的她

自己埋自己

怎么也埋不下

 

爸爸妈妈看着焦急的女儿

开始时还微笑着

笑着笑着

这俩人的笑容都止住了

都流出了泪水

 

他们扭头看着我

仿佛在说：

请你千万不要

把这首诗的名字《在海边》

改为《在人间》

_______________

Read: Accidental Rain – Poetry from China