This is the evening when God preaches

All things are called, enlightened, blessed…

Naren Kikig, a Mongolian and a member of the Chinese Writers Association, shares her poetry

Naren Kikig, a Mongolian, is a member of the Chinese Writers Association, a first-class writer, and the editor-in-chief of Poetry Appreciation. She participated in the 22nd “Youth Poetry Meeting” of the Poetry Journal. Her poetry collections include On the Scales of Time, Embedded in the Folds of Time, The Wind Blows the Grass Low, and The Flower God’s Basket. On the Scales of Time was selected into the “21st Century Literary Stars Series”. She has won awards such as the Liaoning Literature Award and the Bing Xin Children’s Literature Award. (Translated by Ma Yongbo）

 娜仁琪琪格，蒙古族，中国作家协会会员，一级作家，《诗歌风赏》主编。参加诗刊社第22届“青春诗会”,著有诗集《在时光的鳞片上》《嵌入时光的褶皱》《风吹草低》《花神的篮子》。《在时光的鳞片上》入选“21世纪文学之星丛书”。曾获辽宁文学奖，冰心儿童文学奖等奖项。(马永波译)

The Evening When God Preaches

Dusk falls on the Chaobai River, I hold my daughter’s hand

Strolling by the riverbank

Witnessing rose-colored light sink into the water

Those dappled rays spreading quietly.

 

Peaceful, serene

Mysterious light ripples on the calm surface

Spreading. Ripples undulate

One after another, another and yet another

Rising and falling—

It’s the fish dancing, joyful and free

Leaping out of the water, then swiftly splashing back.

 

“Maybe they’re spawning; early spring is when fish conceive,”

As I say this to my daughter, I tighten my grip on her little hand

This is the evening when God preaches

All things are called, enlightened, blessed.

 

The rose-hued glow continues to expand

Where water and sky merge—

***

神布道的傍晚

傍晚降临在潮白河，我牵着女儿的手

在河边散步

看到玫瑰色的光，落入河水

那些晕染的光芒，在悄悄扩散。

 

安谧、祥和 

神秘的光在平静的水面上

扩散。涟漪荡漾 

一个接着一个，一个又是一个  

此起彼伏——

是鱼儿的舞蹈，它们欢喜、自在

飞身跃出水面，又迅速落回水中。

 

“它们或许是在甩子，早春正是鱼儿孕育之时”

我对女儿这样说时，牵紧了她的小手

这是神布道的傍晚 。

万物都被感召、启示、庇佑

 

玫瑰色的光晕，继续扩散

水天弥合——

***

Gift

How many rains has this year? It rushes toward the earth,

Its symphony with all things drenching my heart awake.

How many things have I overlooked this year?

Those flowers, grass, butterfly wings, the sky of flying birds，

The hurrying crowds, the time of this world, flipping by day after day

 

Yet my heart is desolate. Overturning huge pains, those held-back tears

Unspeakable wounds, the hometown that cannot be returned to—

Sink into silence. I use silence, fragility, softness

Use love to confront the sudden collapse,

The bottom of the valley, the frost, those flying stones—

 

Mom, look, you’re gone, taking away your twilight years

Aches and pains. A lifetime of toil. But you left behind

A woman’s resilience, stubbornness, trust in the beauty of the world

And persistence. You left them to me, left them to me

 

Hold my weakness, my stumbles

At the wind gap, stand firm with a smile, steadying myself

***

礼物

这是今年的第几场雨？它奔向大地与万物的合奏

淋醒了我的心。这一年有多少事物被我忽略

那些花开、草绿、 蝴蝶的翅翼，那些飞鸟的天空

疾走的人群、这人间的时光

一日一日都在翻动

 

而我心苍茫。倾覆巨大的疼痛，那些忍住的泪

不能说出的伤，无法返回的故乡——

沉入哑默。我用哑默 、纤弱、柔软

用爱，与突然而来的下陷、谷底 、寒霜 

那些飞来的石头——对抗

 

妈妈，您看啊，您走了 ，带走了风烛残年

病痛。一生的辛劳。而把一个女子的柔韧

倔强。对人世美好的信任。执著。留给了我

留给了我

 

扶住我的弱。我的踉跄

在风口，微笑着把自己站稳

***

Moment

The leaves that catch my eye from afar

Gently swaying in the breeze, or falling silent

Flashing fireworks and golden rays

Exerting a tremendous charm

 

My heart palpitates, my steps quicken

Approaching, or taking a turn

I see their dimness, streaks, even decay

Yet the dazzling, peerless beauty that seized my soul

Still exists—they’ve rushed ahead, up ahead

Shining brightly—

 

Still here, still those trees, those leaves on the trees

In an instant, they take on another form

Light falls on my forehead, on my outstretched fingertips

Dimness settles on my cheeks, on my outstretched hand

 

What a sudden clarity! The obsessions tangled in my life for decades

—are shattered

“Nothing is constant; only change is eternal,”

I tell myself, yet distinctly hear another voice

***

刹那

远远吸引我眼目的树叶

它们在微风中轻轻摇曳  或默然不语

闪烁的焰火与黄金的光芒 

施展巨大的魅力 

 

心为之怦然  行动为之迅疾 

走近  或一个转身

看到了它们的暗淡  斑痕  甚至是颓败

而那吸了心魂的明艳  绝伦的美

依然是存在的  它们跑到了前方  在前方

闪闪发光——

 

还是这里  还是那些树  树上的那些叶子

刹那间  却是另一个模样

光芒落在我的额头  落在我伸出去的指尖

暗淡落在了我的脸颊  落在了我伸出去的手

 

洞然开阔啊  盘结在生命中几十年的执念

——被破除

“没有什么是恒常的，唯有变才是永恒”

我对自己说  却分明听到了另外的一个声音

________________

Coordinated by: Ma Yongbo, a representative of Chinese avant-garde poetry, and a leading scholar in Anglo-American poetry, shares his views about his personal literary work as well as literary panorama of China