Huang Lihai
(China)
the starry sky
the clarinet of autumn
ever more complex
pauses and bridges bring
angels, Satan alike
into a dream it’s not
fun like a game your lover
turns, runs from the city
where she had lived a long time
old stuff bores her
but she can’t love her new flat
wild novelty sweeps by
sad songs heard everywhere
the lemon blossomed every year
but this year fruit has given up
in wind, in water, debris
of past shelters blows by
life lighter than a dandelion
in an even smaller night
you consider your star
it could be in the sky
of either pole
it’s never in your breath
©Trans. by Song Zijiang
Burma, the moonlight
we often speak of that night under you
water was sleeping moonlight fell on those
at their last gasp the whole world anxiously
on the same map desire reaches secretly
along a strange road for the poor, dark night
is a coat of fear they’re lucky enough to have
moonlight, though it is cold like water nature
does not have the body that could comfort
the frightened the forest must face
the sharp axe birds disperse
not for them the sparkling freedom of stars
fate is made into the dark sorry earth
just an instant and the moonlight
in Burma transformed to silent mountains
©Trans. by Song Zijiang
next year’s flowers
in days elusive as shadows
afternoon sun a little worn
the flower takes an umbrella’s shape
no one knows how much rain
it has endured I looked to the clouds
for the way that was lost
life’s last passion must overcome fear
fate befalls the flowers
once the scent is gone
©Trans. by Song Zijiang
alone
this morning, no need to mow the lawn I can’t find
the door to the garden that’s not there even in the dream
this morning, I rush to the metro, I keep getting closer
to life survival has these depths
this morning, clouds in the blue so strange
as if from the map of a far-off land
on the way, there’s no discussion of the weather
I am lit by the sky, alone in a drop of dew
©Trans. by Song Zijiang
a tree
a night shrouded tree
leaves rain thrashed
so many layers
such a weight
of the dark
the tree inhabits the dark
looks around
tiny heart huddled
tries not to let skin glitter
hears faint breaths
of the wind
in the dark
as if leaves
were flying off
©Trans. by Song Zijiang
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Huang Lihai was born in Xuwen, the town in the farthest south of the mainland, and now lives in Guangzhou. His poems are collected in more than a hundred anthologies. He has published a number of books of poems, including I Know Little about Life and The Passionate Mazurka and volumes of criticisms about art, dance, film,and poerty. He has won a number of prizes, including the 8th Lu Xun Literary Award (Guangzhou, 2009) and Lebanon International Literary Award (2013). Huang established the poetry magazines Poetry & People in 1999, and“Poetry & People Poet Prize”in 2005 which has been awarded to Adam Zagajewski, Tomaž Šalamun, Tomas Tranströmer, etc.