AN INTERNATIONAL POETRY JOURNAL IN ENGLISH & CHINESE
Spring 2013 | Issue 2
Huang Canran, born 1963 in a remote village in Quanzhou, Fujian, moved at 15 with his family to Hong Kong and worked in a factory. At 20, he studied English in night school, and graduated in 1988 from Guangzhou’s Jinan University, where he’d begun writing poetry. Since 1990, he has translated international news for the Hong Kong newspaper Ta Kung Bao. His poetry collections include Meditation Beside a Swimming Pool; My Soul; and Book of Wonders, which has twice been reprinted. His honors include the Poetry Prize of the 10th Media Awards for Chinese Literature.
Aside from his work as poet, essayist, and critic, he is widely known for his prolific literary translations into Chinese, largely poetry and poetry criticism. Notable among these are his renderings of Constantine Cavafy, Cesar Vallejo and Susan Sontag.
Preferring a secluded life and rarely appearing in public, Huang Canran has recently offered readings in Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Shanghai.
黃燦然，1963 年生於福建泉州一個偏遠山村，十五歲時隨家人移居香港，在工廠打工。二十歲時開始上夜校學英文，1984年入讀廣州暨南大學，1988年畢業。1990年起至今在香港《大公報》任職國際新聞翻譯。大學時代開始寫詩，主要作品有詩選集《游泳池畔的冥想》（2000），收錄1985—1997年的詩；另一部詩選集《我的靈魂》（2011）主要收錄1998—2005年的詩，該詩集為他贏得第十屆華語文學大獎年度詩人獎。
2006 —2008三年間他寫了一本有結構、自成一體的詩集《奇蹟集》，由約170首詩組成。這是他個人一本突破性的詩集，最初於2009年以民刊《新詩》的專輯出版，受到好評，並在半年內重印。2012年正式由廣東人民出版社出版，吸引了較廣大的讀者，同樣在半年內重印。平時深居簡出、幾乎從不公開露面的他，亦破例在深圳、廣州、上海舉行了三場《奇蹟集》朗誦會，引起熱烈反應。
黃燦然還譯有大量文學作品，以詩歌和文論為主，很受重視，所翻譯的卡瓦菲斯詩集和巴列霍詩集影響尤大。
看
在我看之前世界已存在很久，
在我看之前我已存在很久，
在我看之前我的眼睛已看很久，
而現在我才看，才不停地看。
LOOKING
Before I looked, the world existed.
Before I looked, I existed.
Before I looked, my eyes looked long.
Only now do I begin to look, and keep looking.
爐火
聽著：生活像一個火爐，
有些人圍著它坐，享受溫暖，漸漸感到疲乏，
漸漸把含糊的話留在唇邊睡去。
另一些人在戶外，在寒冷中，
他們甚至不用走近爐火，哪怕只遠遠地
看見火光，已感到一股溫暖流遍全身。
HEARTH FIRE
Listen. Life is a hearth.
Some sit around enjoying the glow, growing tired,
vague words on their lips, dozing off.
Some stand in the cold, outside,
far from the flame, seeing
the firelight, the shock of its warmth
streaming through their flesh.
朝露
人生不是夢，正相反，
它是我們宇宙般無邊的長夢中的
一次醒，然後我們又回到夢裏。
這就是為什麼，我們合著眼睛
來到這世界上，為了適應光明；
又漸漸失去視力，為了再適應黑暗。
你現在醒著的形式，只是一種偶然，
下一次你醒來可能是小草，
或草尖上的露珠。
MORNING DEW
Life is no dream. On the contrary,
it’s waking from an endless
cosmic dream we’ll soon reenter.
That’s why we come to this world
eyes closed, so the light won’t blind us,
then slowly lose our vision, adapting once more
to darkness. Next time around
you may chance to awaken
as a blade of grass, or at its tip
the single bead of dew.
得失
我在樓下靠著大理石牆
打開書，這時海風吹來，
我什麼也沒看進去，
而只是任由書頁翻飛，
任由我的白襯衫翻飛，
任由海風吹拂我灌注我，
而我不敢抬頭看海面，
看風的來源，看我自己
擺出迎風享受的姿勢，
因為我知道我一抬頭
就會像奧爾菲斯回頭
那樣，失去得到的。
BALANCING
Downstairs, I leaned against a marble wall,
opening a book, when a seabreeze touched me.
I couldn’t focus
but let the pages flutter
as my white shirt fluttered,
as sea air filled me.
I dared not search the waves
for the wind’s eye, nor face my own joy
bent toward it,
recalling how Orpheus,
with one glance
lost everything.
炎陽
我來到大街上，陽光猛烈。
我眯起眼睛還不夠，
還得用右手遮住前額。
我到茶餐廳喝咖啡，一如往常
我找了個面對大街的位置坐下。
我看見一個女孩站在門外，
她的小腿特別性感。
我不知道她在等什麼，
只希望她多站一會兒。
她雙手正在手提包裏掏東西，
她掏出一把折傘，打開了
才走路，彷彿她前面是一場暴雨
而不是炎陽。
BROILING SUN
The sun fierce all over the avenue.
Useless to narrow my eyes,
one hand shades my brow.
As usual, I enter a tea house for coffee,
sit facing the street.
A girl stands near the doorway,
her calves slim and sexy.
No idea why she’s waiting,
only hope she’ll stay.
Her hand gropes in her handbag,
emerging with a small umbrella. It opens
and out she walks
as if into a downpour.
來生
我常常想，如果有來生，
我下一輩子就不做詩人了。
我不是後悔今生做詩人。不，我做定了。
我是帶著使命的，必須把它完成。
但如果有來生，如果有得選擇，
我下輩子要做一個不用思考的人，
我會心誠意悅地服務人群，不用文字，
而用實際行動：一個街頭補鞋匠，一個餐廳侍應，
一個替人開門提行李的酒店服務員。
我會更孝敬父母，更愛妻女，更關心朋友。
我會走更多的路，爬更多的山，養更多的狗，
把一條條街上一家家餐館都吃遍。
我將不抽煙，不喝咖啡，早睡早起。
我可以更清貧，永遠穿同一件外衣；
也可以更富裕，把錢都散給窮苦人，
自己變回清貧，永遠穿同一件外衣。
一個擁有我現在的心靈和智慧
又不用閱讀思考寫作的人
該有多幸福呀。我將不用讚美陽光
而好好享受陽光。我將不用歌頌人
而做我所歌頌的人。
NEXT LIFE
If there’s a next life, I sometimes think
I won’t be a poet.
No regrets being one. I simply am,
and must fulfill my fate.
If I could choose a future life, I’d rather
not think so much
but serve others honestly, with acts,
not words: a streetcorner cobbler, a waiter,
a porter opening hotel doors, carrying luggage.
I’d be more dutiful to my parents,
more loving to my wife and daughter, more caring of friends.
I’d walk more roads, climb more mountains, raise more dogs,
try the restaurants on every street.
I won’t smoke or drink coffee. I’ll go to bed early and rise at dawn.
If I’ve less money, I’ll wear one coat.
If more money, I’ll give everything to the poor
and be poor again, all in the same coat.
How happy to keep
my own soul and wisdom
but not have to think or write. I’ll no longer sing of the sun,
just enjoy it. Instead of praising, I’ll become
the people I praise.
樹蔭起舞
淩晨我經過一棵棕櫚樹，它很高，
但它旁邊的一根燈柱比它還高，燈光投下
跟白天一樣濃厚而清晰的樹蔭。
我便停下來歇歇腳，點一根煙，
像在夏天的樹蔭裏納涼那樣站著。
腳下的樹蔭在風中起舞，扇一般猛搖晃，
扇葉像一群蜻蜓在猛飛。
SHADOW DANCE
Before dawn, I walked under a big palm
beside a taller streetlamp,
the glare through the fronds
spilling sharp as daylight.
I stopped and lit a cigarette
as if in cool summer shade.
Then a breeze came, and from the earth
danced up a scatter of shadows,
swaying, fanlike, its blades of light
fierce as a swarm of dragonflies.
陽光是偉大的
陽光是偉大的，因為
它普照萬物，而不知道並非
萬物都需要普照或同等普照，
所以白雲是偉大的，提供
一層遮蓋，還有烏雲，增加
濃度，所以雨是偉大的，使
熱的涼，乾的濕，火的水，
所以風是偉大的，使
悶的暢，靜的動，塞的通，
所以勞動者是偉大的，給
富人窮人所有人蓋房子
遮擋風吹雨打日曬，
自己住棚屋，冷了就出來
接受陽光的溫暖，熱了
就移到他們建造的
高樓大廈的陰影下。
SUNLIGHT
Effulgent, it lights where it falls,
pouring onto earth,
even-handed, unwitting.
Thus the glories of pale clouds, their shade,
or the depths of the somber, their lavish rains
easing the heat, slaking thirst, snuffing flame.
Thus the insistent breeze, shoving out
the stagnant, clearing the obstructed.
Thus the amazing workmen, raising houses
for the rich, the poor, for all
to turn the wind, the rain, the scalding rays,
while they themselves abide in shacks, in the cold
stepping out to feel the sun, in the heat
slipping to the shade of tall properties
built with their own hands.
死神
死神在盯著你，他在跟你賭博
不管你願不願意知不知道：
他等你浪費時間。你浪費到一定比例，
譬如半生，你便輸了，
他隨時愛怎麼處置你都行，
他可以立即吃掉你，也可以
繼續把你擱著，都一樣，
反正你已是他的一部分。
也有些人，過度利用時間：
他們向死神借，然後不還就走掉了。
他們都是早夭的天才，死神最提防他們，
但防不勝防。還有另一些人，
死神也拿他們沒辦法，他們
不浪費時間，不經意浪費的比例
永遠那麼小，叫死神不耐煩，
終於放棄監視他們，直到他們悄悄逝世了，
人群來哀悼他們，死神才驚覺。
DEATH
Death never lets you out of sight,
know it or not, weighing the odds.
He waits while you squander the hours.
Any second,
say halfway through your life,
he can gobble in a blink,
or once again pass by.
Either way you’re his.
Yet some race through the days
loaned out by Death, taking too big a share.
Dying young, these geniuses clip Death’s winnings
and vex him most. Others
waste no useful moment,
sap Death’s gaze,
and quietly expire. Only when
the mourners come
does Death awaken,
startled by murmurs.
我們從哪裏來
我也不知道書架上的灰塵
從哪裏來，它們怎樣出生，
怎樣遷徙，在書本上生活多久了，
有些可能已有幾年，有些昨天才到，
還有些剛在幾分鐘前抵達，
但此刻被我用除塵紙一抹，
便爬上它們通往另一種命運的交通工具：
我把除塵紙放進垃圾袋裏，
明天會有卡車將它們運走。
WE’RE FROM WHERE
This dust on the bookshelves, who can say
where it’s from, how it entered the world,
how long it’s been here.
Years, some of it. Some yesterday,
some just now. One quick swipe
with fate’s paper towel, then the trash,
tomorrow’s truck, the hauling off.
認識
最初我知道我該知道的，
後來我知道我早該知道的，
再後來我知道我知道的，
再後來我知道我早就知道的，
現在我體驗而不再知道。
KNOWLEDGE
At first I knew
what I should have known,
then what I should have known earlier.
Later on I knew what I knew,
then what I had known before.
Now I live unknowing.
