The Sunken Fissure
by Li Yuansheng
trs. by Chen Xiaoyuan
When the outlook suddenly narrows,
you should turn sideways and walk on.
When the ceiling comes down,
bow your head, rather than surrender.
Do not trust the beautiful sky
for it may shoot down thousands of daggers.
Do not dismiss the earth under your feet
because you may be walking on a silvery spring.
This floating world is but a fissure
between heaven and the underworld,
two worlds, two jousting forces.
We endure everything in-between,
witnessing a brief handshake between them
before the eternal struggle.
Tune for a Peaceful Night
by Li Yuansheng
trs. by Chen Xiaoyuan
When you read love, love’s already gone
When you read spring, it’s been the season of fallen leaves
One may read what another wrote
after a cup of tea, sometimes, after this life
I like the self I’ve pruned, while many love, the branches I
trimmed
Till the wonder comes, you catch me up by reading
When you read the silence of a grain of sand
inside which, I am in the midst of its raging sea
My Ancestors
by Yi Sha
trs. by Wang Ping
Ended up on streets
Drinking, whoring, gambling
Who regarded life as muck
Would kill for nothing
Were once innocent as children
Those clans from long ago
Took pride
As assassins
They are my ancestors —
Source of my raging blood
Those who rolled their heads and flourished fans
Have nothing to do with me
Miracle
by Yi Sha
trs. by Wang Ping
The wheat on the coin
Ripened
In my pocket
I was crossing the street
Muttering things
Incomprehensible
The streets were filled with
The perfume of wheat
But no one noticed
This miracle
Of mine