Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Qin Xiaoyu

HOHHOT

Suburb where the grass resists green,
Mother Earth covered in rust stains.
 
Mother Earth seems new-excavated,
driving ash-grey porcelain beasts of burden.
 
I seem to have only just come back,
from strangeness and from a strange land,
 
eyes brimming with precious stones, gastric juices,
turbulent with the process of digesting a boy:
 
doggedly guarding the puncture,
he endlessly rubs the wings of lyric.
 
The passing years have raised a high tower,
the boy extricated himself and got away.
 
Now in his place I stand on the soil of
this hometown whose suburbs are all that remains.

HOHHOT

Gras vecht tegen groene buitenwijken,
op aarde zijn overal sporen van roest.
 
De aarde lijkt net opgegraven,
heeft lastdieren van grijzig porselein.
 
Het lijkt wel of ik net ben teruggekomen
uit een ander geslacht of een ander land,
 
in mijn ogen een juweel, woeste maagsappen,
vertering van een jongetje:
 
hij klampt zich vast aan een gat, lange tijd
wrijft hij over lyrische vleugels.
 
De tijd heeft hoge gebouwen opgeworpen,
de jongen heeft zich losgemaakt.
 
In plaats van hem sta ik nu hier,
van mijn geboorteplek rest alleen de buitenwijk.

呼和浩特

草反对绿的郊外,
大地满是锈迹。
 
大地像是刚出土的,
带着灰瓷牲口。
 
我像是刚刚归来,
从异性或异乡,
 
眼噙宝石,汹涌的胃液,
正消化一个男孩:
 
他墨守着破洞,久久地
摩擦抒情的翅翼。
 
岁月起高楼,
男孩抽身离去。
 
现在,我代替他站在这片
故乡只剩下郊外的土地。
Close

HOHHOT

Suburb where the grass resists green,
Mother Earth covered in rust stains.
 
Mother Earth seems new-excavated,
driving ash-grey porcelain beasts of burden.
 
I seem to have only just come back,
from strangeness and from a strange land,
 
eyes brimming with precious stones, gastric juices,
turbulent with the process of digesting a boy:
 
doggedly guarding the puncture,
he endlessly rubs the wings of lyric.
 
The passing years have raised a high tower,
the boy extricated himself and got away.
 
Now in his place I stand on the soil of
this hometown whose suburbs are all that remains.

HOHHOT

Suburb where the grass resists green,
Mother Earth covered in rust stains.
 
Mother Earth seems new-excavated,
driving ash-grey porcelain beasts of burden.
 
I seem to have only just come back,
from strangeness and from a strange land,
 
eyes brimming with precious stones, gastric juices,
turbulent with the process of digesting a boy:
 
doggedly guarding the puncture,
he endlessly rubs the wings of lyric.
 
The passing years have raised a high tower,
the boy extricated himself and got away.
 
Now in his place I stand on the soil of
this hometown whose suburbs are all that remains.
Sponsors
Gemeente Rotterdam
Nederlands Letterenfonds
Stichting Van Beuningen Peterich-fonds
Ludo Pieters Gastschrijver Fonds
Lira fonds
Partners
LantarenVenster – Verhalenhuis Belvédère