Every time the frost descends, my whole family
Will run to the cliff by the sea and plant wheat
Yubang, an eminent poet from China, shares his poetry
Yubang, born in 1976, currently lives in Nanjing. He engages in writing poetry, novels and literary criticism. He has published more than ten books, including A Youth’s Journey, The Stalker, Being a Pretentious Aesthete, From Joyce to Márquez, Wu Jingzi, Memories of the Old Friends, Cutting Paulownia and Giving Up Drinking. He has won many awards such as the Jinling Literature Award, the Purple Mountain Literature Award, the Sanmao Prose Award, the Yangtze River Poetics Award, the “2019-2020 Top Ten Poets” of China Poetry Network, the Chen Zi’ang Poetry Award of Poetry Magazine and the 2021 Young Poet Award. He was selected into “20 Young Poets in 20 Years of New Century Literature” and is one of the representative post-70s poets in contemporary China.
育邦，1976年生，现居南京。从事诗歌、小说、文论的写作。著有《少年游》《潜行者》《附庸风雅》《从乔伊斯到马尔克斯》《吴敬梓》《忆故人》《伐桐》《止酒》等十多部作品。曾获金陵文学奖、紫金山文学奖、三毛散文奖、扬子江诗学奖、中国诗歌网“2019-2020年度十佳诗人”、诗刊社陈子昂诗歌奖、2021年度青年诗人奖等奖项。入选“新世纪文学二十年•青年诗人20家”，为当代中国70后代表诗人之
Translated by Ma Yongbo
Wheat Field
Wheat FieldEvery time the frost descends, my whole family
Will run to the cliff by the sea and plant wheat
The next year, during Grain in Ear, we’ll go to harvest
Those golden wheat grains, better to beat the sparrows to it
The field after harvesting the wheat
Is left only with hard stubble
A few strangers walk around
Maybe they come from the sea, maybe they are going to the sea
Planting wheat and harvesting wheat every year
I also go to the wheat field, but with my arms folded
Just stand there watching, like a visiting outsider
The rain coming from the sea will drench me all over
***
麦田
每到霜降，我们一家人
都会跑到海边的悬崖上，种下麦子
第二年芒种，我们就去收割
那些黄金般的麦子，最好抢在麻雀的前头
收完麦子的田野
只剩下坚硬的麦茬
有几个陌生人走来走去
也许他们从海上来，也许他们要到海上去
每年种麦子，收麦子
我也去麦田，只是抱着双臂
在那里看看，像一个前来观光的外人
海上来的雨会淋湿我的全身
***
Silent Post Office
The Silent Post Office stands
On the edge of a seaside town.
A blackbird, descending from the slant of the roof,
Lands on the green mailbox.
All hubbub comes to a halt.
That letter, setting off at dusk,
Setting off from a scribbled childhood,
Crosses all seas, all cemeteries,
Yet, it remains unfinished…
In an unforeseen snowstorm,
It fades away, becoming part of nature.
What the postman delivers are riddles,
And no one knows the answers…
The flame in the ears has been extinguished,
Potatoes will sprout in the coming year.
We cherish those days of porridge and pickles,
—Everyone can find their own temple.
Certainly including a bowl of melancholic clear water,
And our bluish faces.
Cold stars peer at us through the fence.
Among the throng that gathers and scatters,
Only you—the child who never speaks—
Catch sight of the faint light,
But you, remain silent all along.
***
寂静邮局
寂静邮局，站在
海边小镇的边缘。
一只乌鸫，从屋顶的斜面上降落，
降落在绿色邮筒上。
一切喧嚣都停止了。
那封信，从黄昏出发，
从潦草的童年出发，
越过所有的大海，所有的墓地，
其实，它还没有写完……
就在不期而遇的暴风雪中，
消逝，成为自然的一部分。
邮递员送出的是谜语，
谁也不知道答案……
耳中的火焰已熄灭，
土豆会在来年发芽。
我们热爱那些稀饭和咸菜的日子，
——每个人都能找到自己的庙宇。
当然包括一碗忧郁的清水，
以及我们幽蓝的面孔。
寒星透过栅栏，凝视着我们。
在那麇集而又散开的人群中，
只有你——从不开口的孩子，
才看到微弱的光芒。
但你，一直保持缄默。
***
Li Bai at Jingting Mountain
The sweltering days have finally passed away
The imperial court has become a phantom
Legends about the rivers and lakes have also faded one by one
I spent another unbearably melancholy afternoon
At dusk, I climbed Jingting Mountain alone
I stand on the hillock
I have nothing to do
I am still restless
I reject all metaphors
The past me is dethroned by the me at this moment
When I comprehend the unalterable fate of the defeated
The grand star storm immediately calms down
I am the hottest star among them
——burning with impatience
Turning into a pure ashes in the mortal world
Yes, I will die before you all
***
李白在敬亭山
炎热的时日终于远去
庙堂已成幻影
关于江湖的传说也一一退去
我度过又一个忧郁不堪的下午
薄暮时分，独上敬亭山
我站在山冈上
我无所事事
我依然烦躁不安
我拒绝一切隐喻
过去的我见黜于此刻的我
当我领悟失败者不可更改的命运
盛大的星辰风暴即刻安静下来
我是那颗最为炽热的星星
——迫不及待地燃烧
化作人世间一纯粹的灰烬
是的，我将先于你们死去
___________________
