Recently I posted about my translations of poetry by Liu Waitong 廖偉棠 on Hong Kong Protesting. In fact, the site, edited by Tammy Lai-ming Ho, editor as well of Cha: An Asian Literary Journal, is quickly becoming a go-to site for new translations of contemporary Chinese poetry.
In addition to Liu Waitong, Hong Kong Protesting has published two poems by Cao Shuying 曹疏影, translated by Andrea Lingenfelter, and two poems by Derek Chung 鍾國強, translated by Tammy Ho herself.
Here is an excerpt of one of Ho’s Chung translations:
FORGET NOT
Forgetting is near. What are we rushing to clamber over?
Blood and sweat of three million people only to demand a fictive rope?
Are there balloons up there? Only billowing clouds
As though the screaming across the city has muted its own cries
Turning into fists lashing out helplessly
Is our energy running low? Are the long streets still beating?
The heavy thump in Pacific Place resounds in Fanling
Red and white plastic barriers blossom in Golden Bauhinia Square
Taller than the people. Tomorrow, ah, there’s still tomorrow
Tomorrow the wealthy and powerful will start feasting
Indifferent to the rancid-smelling blood that rises from their heads
莫忘
忘記就在後頭我們要趕著跨越什麼呢
三百萬人的汗血只為索取一根虛懸的繩子？
上面有否氣球，答以積雲臃腫
彷彿昨夜喊啞了的滿城吶喊
化作一拳一拳打在那裡也無所著力是沒有力量了嗎長街是否仍在敲打
太古廣場那一下重音如今在粉嶺回響
都說金紫荆只盛開紅白相間的水馬
比人民還高，明天，啊，還有明天
明天那些權貴擺下的盛宴
不避葷腥如頭上升起的一抹血色
Follow the links above for more.
