Listen to this articleEarly Spring February
早春二月
Zhang Zao
张枣
the sun used to shine on me; in Chongqing one drop of
太阳曾经照亮我；在重庆。一颗
dew’s early mood enveloping images one by one
露珠的心清早含着图像朵朵
I bypass stretch after stretch of air; the railway hurts
我绕过一片又一片空气；铁道
trains till they flee the light, cuckoo’s light song left behind
让列车疼得逃光，留杜鹃轻歌
I say, hello peaks, and parasol trees, pine and cypress too
我说，顶峰你好，还有梧桐松柏
height regardless, please let me love as if in secret
无论上下，请让我幽会般爱着
in Hunan, sun shining in the eyes of my childhood
在湖南，阳光照亮童年的眼睛
my hands grew up, the gently fondled road was shortened
我的手长大，抚摸的道路变短
dust around the city whirls and dances round and round
尘埃绕城市袅袅地跳循环舞
horn like a brother, car wheels a kaleidoscope
喇叭像弟弟，车轮就是万花筒
teething pain changes into the scars on my backside
换牙的疼变成屁股上的伤疤
fruit presses me to the tree, mercilessly knocks me
果实把我捉到树上，狠狠把我
down. Oh, I still can feel that I am alive today
摔落。哎，我感到我今天还活着
alive in a phony place made out of paper; spring
活在一个纸做的假地方；春天
clucks and coos, sun prods all over like a quack doctor
咕咕叫，太阳像庸医到处摸摸
prods at these up-front or could it be these deferred
摸摸这个提前或是推迟了的
times, prods and prods at the utopia of this world
时代，摸摸这个世界的乌托邦
oh, shun the hidden sage, useless as a rotten rope
哎，潜龙勿用，好比一根烂绳索。
