Poem
Yang Lian
LONGHUA TEMPLE
being chewed by the crocodile structured the eve of this poemin dreams the terrifyingly real temple court-
yard at the water’s edge on the mountain peak
only if the hand’s lotus still opens like that day petal by petal
emptiness our arrival half plum half blood
needs only the cold of a vow to stay
in the incense burner the fragmentary life of a camera
twisted moss twists the stone’s eyeball again
the eve of finding this poem
skeleton hugging skeleton strolls behind the silence of the bells
the direction of our surmise settled in a bud
plums drift down to blend with perfumed blood
bloodstains leak out from behind the knee from numbers one
[to seven again
only to believe what comes back enjoying in memory
flashbulbs periscoping the newly-formed flesh
we vaguely remember the pleasure of sex with crocodiles was
[lovely and sore
© Translation: 2008, Brian Holton
From: Riding Pisces: Poems From Five Collections
Publisher: Shearsman Books, Exeter, 2008
Longhua Temple: Tr. Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province
From: Riding Pisces: Poems From Five Collections
Publisher: Shearsman Books, Exeter, 2008
TEMPEL VAN DE DRAKENPRACHT
door een krokodil gekauwd worden vormde de vooravond van dit gedichtde in dromen angstaanjagend echte tem
pel aan de waterkant op een heuveltop
zolang de lotus van de hand zoals op die dag bloemblad na bloemblad wordt afgebroken
leegte onze aankomst was half pruim half bloed
meer dan de kou van een gelofte is er niet nodig om te blijven
in de wierookbrander het fragmentarische leven van een camera
telkens opnieuw vlecht het mos de stenen oogbol
het vorige leven van de vondst van dit gedicht
skelet omhelst skelet kuiert aan de achterkant van het klokgelui
onze vermoedens vestigen zich in een knop
pruimen dwarrelen neer en mengen zich met welriekend bloed
bloedvlekken die onder de knie verschijnen opnieuw van een tot zeven
alleen wie gelooft in terugkeer overdenkt
flitslampjes periscoop naar het pas gevormde vlees
we herinneren ons vaag dat het genot van seks met krokodillen mooi was en ook pijnlijk
© Vertaling: 2009, Jan De Meyer
© 2008, Yang Lian
From: Riding Pisces: Poems From Five Collections
Publisher: Shearsman Books, Exeter
From: Riding Pisces: Poems From Five Collections
Publisher: Shearsman Books, Exeter
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Poems of Yang Lian
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LONGHUA TEMPLE
being chewed by the crocodile structured the eve of this poemin dreams the terrifyingly real temple court-
yard at the water’s edge on the mountain peak
only if the hand’s lotus still opens like that day petal by petal
emptiness our arrival half plum half blood
needs only the cold of a vow to stay
in the incense burner the fragmentary life of a camera
twisted moss twists the stone’s eyeball again
the eve of finding this poem
skeleton hugging skeleton strolls behind the silence of the bells
the direction of our surmise settled in a bud
plums drift down to blend with perfumed blood
bloodstains leak out from behind the knee from numbers one
[to seven again
only to believe what comes back enjoying in memory
flashbulbs periscoping the newly-formed flesh
we vaguely remember the pleasure of sex with crocodiles was
[lovely and sore
© 2008, Brian Holton
From: Riding Pisces: Poems From Five Collections
Publisher: 2008, Shearsman Books, Exeter
From: Riding Pisces: Poems From Five Collections
Publisher: 2008, Shearsman Books, Exeter
LONGHUA TEMPLE
being chewed by the crocodile structured the eve of this poemin dreams the terrifyingly real temple court-
yard at the water’s edge on the mountain peak
only if the hand’s lotus still opens like that day petal by petal
emptiness our arrival half plum half blood
needs only the cold of a vow to stay
in the incense burner the fragmentary life of a camera
twisted moss twists the stone’s eyeball again
the eve of finding this poem
skeleton hugging skeleton strolls behind the silence of the bells
the direction of our surmise settled in a bud
plums drift down to blend with perfumed blood
bloodstains leak out from behind the knee from numbers one
[to seven again
only to believe what comes back enjoying in memory
flashbulbs periscoping the newly-formed flesh
we vaguely remember the pleasure of sex with crocodiles was
[lovely and sore
© 2008, Brian Holton
From: Riding Pisces: Poems From Five Collections
Publisher: 2008, Shearsman Books, Exeter
From: Riding Pisces: Poems From Five Collections
Publisher: 2008, Shearsman Books, Exeter
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