Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Bei Dao

That Earliest of All

Day and night part at the top of a cypress
Wings draw in light’s final rays
Sailing in youth-sheltering waves
Death turns psyche’s compass

Tyrant Memory sounds warning bells
Beyond time’s frames – homesickness
Alarmed police seeking rant-windstorms
Go light-headed from the recognition of light’s fingerprints

The sky tends its wounds in ground-pools
Stars in Theatre Night reserve fixed seating
Orphans guide blind-pupilled praise-songs
Along mouth-like passes to greet the moon

That earliest of all has no name
Waters reform timetables
The sun opens its eye-dazzling umbrella
To see off those from alien homelands

HET ALLEREERSTE

dag en nacht nemen afscheid van boomtoppen
vleugels verzamelen het laatste licht
varen door golven beschutting van jeugd
de dood draait aan een kompas in het hart

buiten het montuur van de tijd luidt
de tiran van herinnering de klok – heimwee
de politie is op zoek naar de storm
en duizelig van de vingerafdrukken van het licht

de hemel likt zijn wonden in de vijver
sterren reserveren voor het nachttheater
een wees leidt blinde lofliederen
op de bergpas de maan tegemoet

het allereerste heeft geen naam
de rivier vernieuwt haar rooster
de zon steekt haar oogverblindend scherm op
brengt vreemdelingen weg

那最初的

日夜告别于大树顶端
翅膀收拢最后光芒
在窝藏青春的浪里行船
死亡转动内心罗盘

记忆暴君在时间的
镜框外敲钟——乡愁
搜寻风暴的警察
因辨认光的指纹晕眩

天空在池塘养伤
星星在夜剧场订座
孤儿带领盲目的颂歌
在隘口迎接月亮

那最初的没有名字
河流更新时刻表
太阳撑开它耀眼的伞
为异乡人送行
Close

That Earliest of All

Day and night part at the top of a cypress
Wings draw in light’s final rays
Sailing in youth-sheltering waves
Death turns psyche’s compass

Tyrant Memory sounds warning bells
Beyond time’s frames – homesickness
Alarmed police seeking rant-windstorms
Go light-headed from the recognition of light’s fingerprints

The sky tends its wounds in ground-pools
Stars in Theatre Night reserve fixed seating
Orphans guide blind-pupilled praise-songs
Along mouth-like passes to greet the moon

That earliest of all has no name
Waters reform timetables
The sun opens its eye-dazzling umbrella
To see off those from alien homelands

That Earliest of All

Day and night part at the top of a cypress
Wings draw in light’s final rays
Sailing in youth-sheltering waves
Death turns psyche’s compass

Tyrant Memory sounds warning bells
Beyond time’s frames – homesickness
Alarmed police seeking rant-windstorms
Go light-headed from the recognition of light’s fingerprints

The sky tends its wounds in ground-pools
Stars in Theatre Night reserve fixed seating
Orphans guide blind-pupilled praise-songs
Along mouth-like passes to greet the moon

That earliest of all has no name
Waters reform timetables
The sun opens its eye-dazzling umbrella
To see off those from alien homelands
Sponsors
Gemeente Rotterdam
Nederlands Letterenfonds
Stichting Van Beuningen Peterich-fonds
Ludo Pieters Gastschrijver Fonds
Lira fonds
Partners
LantarenVenster – Verhalenhuis Belvédère