Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Zang Di

COMPENDIUM ON HOW LIFE IS SMELTED

In the playbill, the scenery has been trundled off to
some unobtrusive place. It's no wonder. Recently, restaurant bills
have increasingly resembled playbills. Rent must be paid,
home loans must be repaid, all the different edibles have been polluted,
such tiny stomachs, their conflict with us is insignificant
save that they have always stood in for the risks of the cosmos.
The people's heart brushes against the meat grinder. Each opportunity
seems like a crack in the abyss.
What is more extreme than the method of smelting steel
is the smelting of life. In the training that is Hell Week
everyone's got their part, no use worrying that you won't pass through.
People who want to hypnotize reality, in the end they can't avoid
being hypnotized by reality. All problems resolved through good fortune,
in the end they become a kind of vague humiliation.
Death is no longer a form of serenity, it is a wrath,
a profoundly cold detachment, it's a little bit like
the way death itself is smelted. Each of us
has died many times. Living is like a plant growing,
and plus it has been scattered across many locations —
your roots here, your leaves over there,
your flowers in some unknown location, stuck in some bottle
you've never seen before. Interesting work
still depends on whether you like to set to or not, it's like
changing the tires on hope. If you decide to speed,
desperation won't be fined. If poetry cannot save you,
other enlightenments are surely more subtle.
Death can't interrupt affairs like it used to,
but travel can. The great river rushes and bubbles,
travelling is like pulling back one foot
from the torrential river current. No need to worry about tickets:
they don't sell movie tickets here, but over there
you can definitely get a bus ticket. Remember
that bus tickets are not just bus tickets, they are also movie tickets.
It's no wonder. Bus tickets can also be lottery tickets.
The human landscape is pushing humanity out of the landscape
towards the kiosk where they sell the one-way ticket.

HOE WORDT HET LEVEN GESMEED, SERIE

In het programmaboekje is het landschap al weggebonjourd
naar een onopvallende plek. Geen wonder. Recente rekeningen
lijken steeds meer op programmaboekjes. De huishuur moet betaald,
de hypotheek afgelost, alle etenswaren zijn vervuild,
die kleine maag van ons is in strijd met onze nietigheid,
neemt eigenlijk altijd risico’s voor de kosmos.
Het hart van de mens is heel dicht bij de gehaktmolen. Elke kans
is als een barst in de afgrond.
Nog extremer dan hoe ijzer wordt gesmeed is
hoe het leven wordt gesmeed. Van die duivelstraining
krijgt ieder zijn deel, je hoeft niet bang te zijn dat je er niet door komt.
Iedere persoon die de realiteit wil hypnotiseren kan toch niet vermijden
door de realiteit gehypnotiseerd te raken. Iedere zaak die met geluk is opgelost
verandert uiteindelijk in een soort vage vernedering.
De dood is niet langer een sereniteit, het is een woede,
een diepe onverschilligheid, een beetje lijkend op
hoe de dood wordt gesmeed. Iedereen
is vaker dan eens gestorven. Leven is als de plantenteelt
en bovendien over verschillende plaatsen verspreid –
je wortels zijn hier, je bladeren daar,
je bloemen worden op een jouw onbekende plek
in een vaas gezet die je nooit hebt gezien. Boeiend werk
hangt nog steeds af van je eigen inzet, dan lijkt het wel op
banden wisselen van hoop. Als je te hard rijdt,
wordt wanhoop niet beboet. Als poëzie je niet kan redden,
zijn andere inzichten vast subtieler.
De dood kan alles niet meer als vroeger onderbreken,
maar reizen kan dat wel. De grote rivier stroomt onstuimig,
reizen lijkt op het terugtrekken van een voet
uit het woeste rivierwater. Maak je geen zorgen over kaartjes,
hier kun je geen bioscoopkaartjes kopen, daar
kun je zeker wel buskaartjes kopen. Denk eraan,
buskaartjes zijn niet gewoon buskaartjes, het zijn tegelijkertijd bioscoopkaartjes.
Geen wonder. Buskaartjes kunnen tegelijkertijd ook lottokaartjes zijn.
Het menselijke landschap is bezig om de mens uit het landschap te duwen
naar het loket waar de enkele reizen worden verkocht.

生活是怎么炼成的丛书

节目单上,风景已排到了
不起眼的地方。难怪。最近的账单
越来越像节目单。房租要交,
房贷要还,每样吃的东西都已被污染,
那么小的胃,矛盾于我们很渺小,
竟然一直在替宇宙冒险。
人心紧挨着绞肉机。每个机会
都像是深渊之间的缝隙。
比钢铁是怎样炼成的,还要极端的是,
生活是怎样炼成的。魔鬼训练
人人都有份,用不着担心你会过不了关。
凡想催眠现实的人,最终都难免
被现实催眠。凡是用运气解决的事
最终都变成了一种暧昧的耻辱。
死亡不再是一种平静,而是一种愤怒,
一种深奥的冷漠,有点像
死亡是怎么炼成的。每个人
都死过不止一次。活着,像是植物栽培,
并且被分散在不同的地方——
你的根,在这里,你的叶子,在那边,
你的花,在你不知道的地方插在
你从未见过的瓶子里。有趣的工作
还是看你爱不爱动手,它就像是
给希望换轮胎。假如超速了,
绝望不会被罚款。假如诗不能救你,
其他的启示肯定更微妙。
死亡不再像以往能中断任何事情,
但旅行却可以。大河在奔涌,
旅行就像从激流的河水中抽回
一只脚。票一点都不紧张,
你在这里买不到电影票,在那里
肯定能买到车票。记住,
车票不止是车票,同时还是电影票。
难怪。车票还可能同时是彩票。
人的风景正将人从风景中
推向只出售单程票的那个窗口。
Close

COMPENDIUM ON HOW LIFE IS SMELTED

In the playbill, the scenery has been trundled off to
some unobtrusive place. It's no wonder. Recently, restaurant bills
have increasingly resembled playbills. Rent must be paid,
home loans must be repaid, all the different edibles have been polluted,
such tiny stomachs, their conflict with us is insignificant
save that they have always stood in for the risks of the cosmos.
The people's heart brushes against the meat grinder. Each opportunity
seems like a crack in the abyss.
What is more extreme than the method of smelting steel
is the smelting of life. In the training that is Hell Week
everyone's got their part, no use worrying that you won't pass through.
People who want to hypnotize reality, in the end they can't avoid
being hypnotized by reality. All problems resolved through good fortune,
in the end they become a kind of vague humiliation.
Death is no longer a form of serenity, it is a wrath,
a profoundly cold detachment, it's a little bit like
the way death itself is smelted. Each of us
has died many times. Living is like a plant growing,
and plus it has been scattered across many locations —
your roots here, your leaves over there,
your flowers in some unknown location, stuck in some bottle
you've never seen before. Interesting work
still depends on whether you like to set to or not, it's like
changing the tires on hope. If you decide to speed,
desperation won't be fined. If poetry cannot save you,
other enlightenments are surely more subtle.
Death can't interrupt affairs like it used to,
but travel can. The great river rushes and bubbles,
travelling is like pulling back one foot
from the torrential river current. No need to worry about tickets:
they don't sell movie tickets here, but over there
you can definitely get a bus ticket. Remember
that bus tickets are not just bus tickets, they are also movie tickets.
It's no wonder. Bus tickets can also be lottery tickets.
The human landscape is pushing humanity out of the landscape
towards the kiosk where they sell the one-way ticket.

COMPENDIUM ON HOW LIFE IS SMELTED

In the playbill, the scenery has been trundled off to
some unobtrusive place. It's no wonder. Recently, restaurant bills
have increasingly resembled playbills. Rent must be paid,
home loans must be repaid, all the different edibles have been polluted,
such tiny stomachs, their conflict with us is insignificant
save that they have always stood in for the risks of the cosmos.
The people's heart brushes against the meat grinder. Each opportunity
seems like a crack in the abyss.
What is more extreme than the method of smelting steel
is the smelting of life. In the training that is Hell Week
everyone's got their part, no use worrying that you won't pass through.
People who want to hypnotize reality, in the end they can't avoid
being hypnotized by reality. All problems resolved through good fortune,
in the end they become a kind of vague humiliation.
Death is no longer a form of serenity, it is a wrath,
a profoundly cold detachment, it's a little bit like
the way death itself is smelted. Each of us
has died many times. Living is like a plant growing,
and plus it has been scattered across many locations —
your roots here, your leaves over there,
your flowers in some unknown location, stuck in some bottle
you've never seen before. Interesting work
still depends on whether you like to set to or not, it's like
changing the tires on hope. If you decide to speed,
desperation won't be fined. If poetry cannot save you,
other enlightenments are surely more subtle.
Death can't interrupt affairs like it used to,
but travel can. The great river rushes and bubbles,
travelling is like pulling back one foot
from the torrential river current. No need to worry about tickets:
they don't sell movie tickets here, but over there
you can definitely get a bus ticket. Remember
that bus tickets are not just bus tickets, they are also movie tickets.
It's no wonder. Bus tickets can also be lottery tickets.
The human landscape is pushing humanity out of the landscape
towards the kiosk where they sell the one-way ticket.
Sponsors
Gemeente Rotterdam
Nederlands Letterenfonds
Stichting Van Beuningen Peterich-fonds
Ludo Pieters Gastschrijver Fonds
Lira fonds
Partners
LantarenVenster – Verhalenhuis Belvédère