Feng Tang: Six Poems (冯唐: 六首诗歌) — Translated by Alex Woodend

February 14, 2020
All the way from New York City, writer and translator Alex Woodend brings us six poems by Chinese poet Feng Tang. The original poems in Mandarin and their English translations are published here with permission from their original publisher, People's Literature.

Zoology

Fish say to other fish
there’s a shithead fish always trying to crawl to land
dinosaurs say to other dinosaurs
there’s a shithead dinosaur always trying to fly to the clouds

动物学

鱼们和鱼们说

有个傻 鱼总试着爬向陆地
恐龙们和恐龙们说
有个傻 恐龙总试着飞向云里

General Zhou

Freaks like you and me
were conceived illicitly as our parents heeded heaven’s call

Open some doors
dig some graves
honor the urge to make a contribution
whether it soothes your soul or not

We’re the best friends in the world
we’re the worst lovers in the world
being together
keeps the people from harm 

周处

像你我这样的邪屄
老天野合降生大地

来开几扇门
来挖几座坟
负责贡献本能
不管抚慰灵魂

我们是世人最好的朋友
我们是世人最差的情人
我们彼此相爱
就是为民除害

Indulge

Looking at you like this
using all my eyes and all my distance
is like the wind halting
then blowing again
dimly
slowly
gently
looking at you
is eating you like that
using all my teeth and memory
like clouds gathering
and floating away
thickly
quickly
fiercely
eating you

沉溺

就这么看你
用所有的眼睛和所有的距离
就像风住了
风又起
淡淡地
慢慢地
轻轻地
看你
就是这么吃你
用所有的牙齿和所有的记忆
就像云聚了
云又走
稠稠地
急急地
狠狠地
吃你

Swell

The grapevine swells
grapes

The grape swells
wine

Flesh wells
tears

Tears swell
words

Next time
bring two bottles of booze
and don’t
say anything

肿胀

葡萄藤肿胀
葡萄

葡萄肿胀

肉身肿胀
泪水

泪水肿胀
字句

下次
带两瓶酒去
不说
一字一句

Buddha

The soul is for singing
the spirit is for wandering
the flesh is for bedding
oh, Buddha, the first time I crossed you
your hair was still black and long

So I decided to forget I decided not to see you
and my northern journey’s polar bear belly skin was you
and my southern journey’s Southern Cross stars were you
and my eastern journey’s North Sea hot springs were you
and my western journey’s Mogao Grottos sandstone was you

I get too drunk and dream of your daring hands
I get too high and sever my finger as you reappear with its print
I swear in the next life
I’ll be your sheets

我佛十四行

灵魂是用来歌唱的
精神是用来流浪的
肉体是用来上床的
佛啊,第一次着你的道
你的头发还很黑还很长

于是我决定忘记我决定不见你
于是我北上北极熊的肚皮是你
于是我南下南十字的星光是你
于是我东游北海道的汤泉是你
于是我西游莫高窟的砂岩是你

我大酒后入梦你的双手大胆
我大药后断指你和指纹重现
我发下毒誓,下辈子
下辈子我做你的床单

The Ancient City of Dali, December 24th

I want to send you a Christmas card
write a bunch of cryptic stuff in it

“Tonight, the moon rising over Erhai Lake is huge
bigger than the sun in your city, dogs howl in terror
tonight, the faces the Cangshan Range are transparent
taller than your city’s downtown, the water flows between the peaks, the camellia grows below
tonight, I go through the gate to the ancient city to send your card
just like the assholes in your city
countless assholes are wielding manmade snowflakes in battle”

Put out a hand, can’t give you the weight of the moon
look up, can’t give you the expanse of mountain light
mesh bodies, can’t give you tonight’s three-stage five-act dreams

Fate and probability are just one thing
heartache can’t give you a day from the second half of my life’s ten thousand

大理古城 12 月 24 日

我想给你寄一张圣诞卡
写很多含义模糊的话

“今夜,洱海升起的月亮巨大
比你城的太阳还大土狗狂叫,非常害怕
今夜,十九峰面目透明
比你城的 CBD 还挺峰间流水,峰下茶花
今夜,从苍山门进古城给你寄卡
和你城的傻屄一样
无数傻屄挥舞着人造雪花厮杀”

伸手,给不了你满捧的月亮
抬头,给不了你满目的山光
合身,给不了你今夜三场五幕的梦乡

缘分和概率是一回事儿吧
心痛,给不了你我后半生小一万个日子

 

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About the Contributor

<a href="https://www.inversejournal.com/author/alex-woodend/" target="_self">Alex Woodend</a>

Alex Woodend

Alex Woodend’s fascination with Spanish and Chinese began at Franklin & Marshall College. He went on to study Chinese literature and history at Columbia University where his master’s thesis explored early post-Mao literature. He has since translated several books into English and is at work on new translations and original writing. Among his Chinese-English book translations are: A Yi, Two Lives: Tales of Life, Love and Crime (Flame Tree Press, 2020. 阿乙 短篇小说集), Shi Tiesheng, My Travels in Ding Yi (ACA Publishing, 2019. 史铁生《我的丁一之旅), Qinghan Cece, The Golden Hairpin (AmazonCrossing, 2018. 侧侧轻寒《簪中录), and Qin Ming, Murder in Dragon City (AmazonCrossing, 2016. 秦明《第十一根手指). Among his Spanish-English book translations are: Fernando Gamboa, Captain Riley II: Darkness (AmazonCrossing, 2017) and Fernando Gamboa, Captain Riley (AmazonCrossing, 2016). Alex is currently based out of New York City. Apart from his translations, his own writing can be found in publications such as Bookforum, The Millions, The Brooklyn Rail, Nanoism, among many others.
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