Poem
Yi Sha
THE CHINESE SENSE OF REALITY COMES FROM AN UNIMAGINABLY POWERFUL ACTUALITY
The necessary connection’s foundThe necessary cash doled out
But the friend’s loan
Is yet to be granted
The reason’s quickly uncovered
The bird sent to the bank manager
Was two hours late
Burning with impatience
He’d taken Viagra
And his golden gun wouldn’t fall
Just bluntly sticking out there
A burning desire
Idly wasting away
Dry wood and a raging flame
Ultimately reduced to a single shot
And a fury
That can only be resolved by revenge
And so nothing was done
“Just because of this?”
“Just because of this!”
The friend’s calm
Makes me ashamed
Of my shock
As a writer
I’m ignorant of reality
And if I write it as it is
Afraid even more ignorant readers
Will shout “beat the fraud”
© Translation: 2007, Simon Patton, Tao Naikan, Michael M. Day
CHINA’S REALITEITSZIN KOMT VOORT UIT HET ONVERMOGEN EEN KRACHTIGE WERKELIJKHEID TE VERZINNEN
De relatie die gevonden moet worden is gevondenhet geld dat uitgegeven moet worden is besteed
maar de leningen van vrienden
zijn nog niet opgenomen
de reden is snel gevonden
de kip die aan de bankdirecteur was geschonken
kwam twee uur te laat
de directeur, brandend van ongeduld,
had alvast maar viagra ingenomen
zijn pik werd niet meer slap
hij bleef maar overeind
brandend in het vuur van de passie
maar volkomen nutteloos
een alles verterend vuur
dat uiteindelijk omsloeg in een
woede die alleen door wraak
kon worden weggenomen
en daardoor deed hij helemaal niks
‘Alleen daardoor?’
‘Alleen daardoor!’
door de gelatenheid van mijn vrienden
geneerde ik me
voor mijn eigen verbijstering
ik als schrijver
weet niks van de werkelijkheid
als ik de werkelijkheid beschrijf
ben ik bang dat lezers die nog minder weten
me zullen uitmaken voor huichelaar
© Vertaling: 2007, Silvia Marijnissen
Poems
Poems of Yi Sha
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THE CHINESE SENSE OF REALITY COMES FROM AN UNIMAGINABLY POWERFUL ACTUALITY
The necessary connection’s foundThe necessary cash doled out
But the friend’s loan
Is yet to be granted
The reason’s quickly uncovered
The bird sent to the bank manager
Was two hours late
Burning with impatience
He’d taken Viagra
And his golden gun wouldn’t fall
Just bluntly sticking out there
A burning desire
Idly wasting away
Dry wood and a raging flame
Ultimately reduced to a single shot
And a fury
That can only be resolved by revenge
And so nothing was done
“Just because of this?”
“Just because of this!”
The friend’s calm
Makes me ashamed
Of my shock
As a writer
I’m ignorant of reality
And if I write it as it is
Afraid even more ignorant readers
Will shout “beat the fraud”
© 2007, Simon Patton, Tao Naikan, Michael M. Day
THE CHINESE SENSE OF REALITY COMES FROM AN UNIMAGINABLY POWERFUL ACTUALITY
The necessary connection’s foundThe necessary cash doled out
But the friend’s loan
Is yet to be granted
The reason’s quickly uncovered
The bird sent to the bank manager
Was two hours late
Burning with impatience
He’d taken Viagra
And his golden gun wouldn’t fall
Just bluntly sticking out there
A burning desire
Idly wasting away
Dry wood and a raging flame
Ultimately reduced to a single shot
And a fury
That can only be resolved by revenge
And so nothing was done
“Just because of this?”
“Just because of this!”
The friend’s calm
Makes me ashamed
Of my shock
As a writer
I’m ignorant of reality
And if I write it as it is
Afraid even more ignorant readers
Will shout “beat the fraud”
© 2007, Simon Patton, Tao Naikan, Michael M. Day
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