The Scenery (Liu Xia)

The Scenery (Liu Xia)
(translated by oswald)

1.
You said the mountain belongs to you
So you go and come at ease
The sutra streamers on it were blowing in the wind
With a mere tone repeating and echoing

You stroke them with your hand
The wind stopped to blow
The mountain looked at us attentively and peacefully
Under a cloudy sky of the night

2.
After a huge fire
No more trees could there be on this highland
The man who sat on the ground
Had his head fallen down to his knees
Not a single noise he could make

The sun was still shining bright
That black dog lingering leisurely
The girl up in the sky
Shed down a patch of cloud
Tenderly wrapped the dismal mountain up
No wind

3.
No idea where you came from
Seeing this piece of lake water
You lay yourself down
Hoping to make a dream then wake up
Your journey was still afar

Oh, your dream was long, very long
It was until a thousand years after
The green grass had become yellow and yellow become green
You still remained asleep
In your dream beard had come out from your face
In the arms of the lake's water
You had become a real man
Lives on the plain were still going on

In the thick clan pedigree at your old home
Your name had become unfamiliar
That which no one would be able to remember

With the blue sky and the white cloud you were facing
On and on you slept and slept for long long a time

4.
In front of this blue illusive lake
My eyes were blurred with tears
You quietly lit me a cigarette
We then watched attentively
The sea birds with their untrammelled flights

Sometimes you were so reticent like an old man
But once, in a blink of eye
You lifted up a snow-white sheep skull
Smiling at me brightly and sunny
I foundd out that you were a child

Just like all men in the highland
You like drinking wine
You were so joyous happy when you drank
To such an extent I was obliged not to stop you
After the wine your speech would become smooth and flowing, but mad
When sometimes you might get a swollen face or a blue nose
And you would swear not to drink any more

In most of the time
We would remain silent
With just a lighted cigarette
Let that light and vague loneliness
Be with us and drown us

5.
The two Tibetan young men and you
Were sitting in the street corner's sweet tea-house again
Two cigarettes were lighted simultaneously in his hand
One was for you
None of you had said a word

At the big red square table
Four Khamish men were playing cards
Two little boys squatted on the ground
Petting a kitten with utmost care
Inside the house a Tibetan woman was singing
Her voice was expansive and boundless

When your cups were emptied by the third round
Hailstones were falling down outside
He lighted two cigarettes again
You were distracted
By the hailstones which hit the ground causing the water to splash
You were fascinated
When until the two cigarettes
Burnt out in between his fingers
None of you had said a word

When you were standing together at the wet damp street
He made a loft on his shoulders
The tea was too sweet

6.
By twilight you began your trip round the lake
When you started off with your first step
You could feel the softness of the pasture under your feet
You knew nothing could be changed by now
You would not be overruled by anything
You began to be part of this piece of lake
And the lonely sky above the lake
And the lonesome bird in the sky it flew

When the two red horses
Standing in front of you
You were caught by their simplicity from their eyesight

While you were moving on with your journey
You were quiet as the lake aside you
Peaceful as the mountains around you
Mysterious as the lightless night
You were thinking of nothing

7.
That Tibetan old Mama
Once again brought along the hundred-year old sheep
And there quietly she sat

In front of Temple Jokhang
Two towerly tall sutra streamers
Had just stopped their turmoil
The insense coming up from the giant censer was pure and clear
Concentrated and looked firmly straight forwards
The people touched their heads to the ground deeply and continuously
Murmurings from their throats sounded almost like groanings
Dissolved totally into the fainted colours of the night
A few dogs in the midst of the praying
Fell asleep soundly

A bronz-haired young man
Leant himself against the red wall
From his thick note book, decently and seriously
Dropping down his feeling, vibrated and touched
His turquoise-blue eyes had become uncertain and lost

You were sitting in the middle of the square
Somewhat adrift and could not know what to do
The heart was vacant and empty
You knew you were sitting at the place already
With the prayer wheel in your hand
Keep on spinning
You did not have a wish

(1987/05-12)
(translated by oswald 2011/12-00)
Notes: I translated this early poem written by Liu Xia just want to show my deep thinking
of Liu Xiaobo and Liu Xia. From the poem one may aware how pure and innocent this
couple is. I hope I am not the only one who is with them. (2011/12/27-28)


風景 （劉霞）

1
你說這山屬於你
於是你來去從容
山上的經幡在風中
重複着一個聲音

你的手撫摸它們
風靜止不動
山就那樣安詳地注視着我們
在夜晚多雲的天空下

2
大火過後
高原上不再有樹
那個男人坐在地下
頭垂到膝
一聲不吭

陽光依然耀眼
那隻黑狗悠悠閒閒
女孩子走在天上
撒下一把雲
把沉重的山溫柔地籠罩
沒有風

3
不知道你從哪裡來
看到這片湖水
你躺了下來
想做個夢便起身
你的行程還很遠

你的夢好長好長呀
直到千年以後
草綠草黃
你仍沒有醒來
夢中的你長出鬍鬚
在湖水的懷抱裡
你成為真正的男人
草原上到處有生命延續

老家厚厚的族譜上
你的名字變得陌生
不再有人記起

就這樣面對藍天白雲
你長久地睡下去

4
在那個藍的虛幻的湖前
我淚眼模糊
你默默地為我點支煙
恢然後我們專刎地看著
水鳥無拘無束地飛翔

有時候你沉默得像個老人
可曾經有一瞬間
你舉著那雪白的羊頭骨
向我晴朗地微笑
我發現你是個孩子

和高原上所有的男人一樣
你喜歡酒
喝酒的時候你那麼愉快
以至我不想勸阻你
酒後的你語言流暢而瘋狂
可有時你也會鼻青臉腫
也會發誓不再喝了

更多的時候
我們什麼也不說
只是點上一支煙
讓淡淡的寂寞
把我們淹沒

5
那個藏族男孩和你
又坐在街角的甜茶館裡了
兩支煙同時在他手中點燃
一支給你
你們一句話也沒說

大紅方桌旁
四個康巴漢子在玩紙牌
兩個小男孩蹲在地上
小心翼翼地撫摸著一隻小貓
裏間屋裏一個藏族婦女唱着歌
聲音空曠又遼遠

當你們的杯子第三次空了時
外面下起了冰雹
他又點燃兩支煙
你在走神
冰雹落地濺起的水花
讓你著迷
直至兩支煙
在他指間熄滅
你們一句話也沒說

當你們一起站在濕漉漉的街上
他的肩膀聳了聳
茶太甜了

6
暮色中你開始你的繞湖之行
你邁出第一步的時候
感到腳下的草地有點柔軟
你知道一切不可挽回了

你不再受任何東西支配
你開始屬於這片湖水
湖水上面寂寞的天空
天空上獨自飛翔的鳥

當那兩匹紅色的馬
站在你面前時
你被它們單純的目光感動

繼續上路的時候
你平靜如身邊的湖水
安詳如四周的山脈
神秘如沒有燈光的夜晚
你什麼也不想

7
那個藏族老媽媽
又牽著那隻上百歲的羊
靜靜地坐在那裏了

大昭寺前
兩束高聳入雲的經幡
停止了騷動
巨大香爐裏昇起的清煙
目不斜視
磕長頭的人們
嘴裏發出近乎呻吟的聲音
和夜色交溶
幾隻狗在祈禱聲中
沉沉睡去

一個黃頭髮的男孩
倚著紅牆
在厚厚的本子裏
寫著正正經經的感觸
藍藍的眼睛變得迷茫

你坐在廣場中央
茫然不知所措
心中空空蕩蕩
你只跳坐在這裏了
手中的轉經筒
旋轉不已
你沒有願望
(1987/05-12)(2011/12/27-28)