The Borrowing Scene/ I Dreamed About/ Its Solitude/ The Night Curtain

original poem〈借景〉（龍安寺）
english translation by Jeats 


The Borrowing Scene


Led into the pond side group by group
Visitors either sat or stood
Gesticulating at those delicate crafts before their eyes
And calculating with many counts
Occasionally with bored and dull stare
Or held their hands back inclined, as if in contemplation

Stroking heads, vexed, hands on foreheads, meditating 
Finally they concentrated

Without a word

Tranquil 

Integrated *Karesansui. This turned into
The Borrowing Scene of Life


* Karesansui: a special Japanese form of garden design that is mainly composed of stones, sands and plants to express the simulated mountain and rivers.
(photo was taken at Ryoanji, Kyoto, Japan, in December 2007. )




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original poem 〈我作了一個夢〉
english translation by Jeats 

I Dreamed About


A slightly round woman, who seemed to wait for me there, dressing in black, stood up along the road. When getting closer, I told her I had forgotten which room I stayed in. She seemed to have foreseen this and raised her right hand up and shook a little, making the keys in her hand crank with clear sounds. She then said with a smile “it’s fine, I knew that”.

Then she led me through the narrow lane, like a battle trench, so twisted as in the labyrinth and so narrow just enough for two to get passing by. A moment later, we came to a small soil hill with little grass. I saw a couple of soldiers staring at the distance spiritlessly.  

All of sudden, I was already standing at an entrance to the underground fortress. But I had no memory when she disappeared from air.

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original poem〈它的孤獨〉
english translation by Jeats 

Its Solitude

Upon the night sky, dandelions one by one

Slowly drifted overhead

Floating to where

I can feel its solitude

On the nameless sand beach

Sunflowers arose in spin from the sea level afar

Dazzling glare

I can feel its solitude

Below the coconut trees vertically stretching to the sky are

Those youth boys and girls at the night travel

Nestling with each other

I can feel its solitude

Catching a buoy in the flood

This Sequoia tree

Still smiled

Smiling

I can feel its solitude

Panic and suspicious fish

Knocked with knuckles on

Self-murmuring hands of 

This fishbowl

I can feel its solitude

＊＊＊

original poem〈夜幕〉
english translation by Jeats 

The Night Curtain

When the night came

I hided myself into that blanket

Suddenly someone lit up the light in the room

The light filtered through the holes of the blanket

Here was Hunter Constellation, there was Horseman Constellation 

Occasionally I would think of the one turning on the light

This house perhaps had three rooms and two living spaces

Above the aged apartment of this community

Its end was surrounded by green mountains and rivers

Wind of trees, streams running, birds and insects humming

A hasty day was about to end

Stories of fairies were in line on book shelves

Waiting to be told

Closing eyes, I sung with a smile

All the imagination and memory were full of ether

Wish I’d fall into a sweet dream

Until someone uncovered my quilt

The light was splashed inside from outside the window

Dusts floating among the light

There were precious toys and color books in the corner of the room

As if in the other dream

I turned around and saw your face