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.