(The third in a series of transformations of Wang Wei's River Wang poems.)
A River Transformed III: After Wang Wei's Luan House Rapids -
Beyond the Estuary
A torrent drowns duckweed and bulrush;
squalls whip cattails and willow thickets.
Canvas wet outside and in, soaked shoes
squish-squish with each mud-mired step.
A trickle, rivulet, rush flows over field,
macadam; into cellars and badger holes.
Boats break from their moorings, trash bins
float like empty shells past broken dolls and trikes.
On a cloudless night, we embrace the stars;
we pour diamonds through our stained fingers.
On a cold autumn night, jewels turn to flotsam;
promises dull, lumps of cinder without warmth.
A summer's debris drifts to block the drain,
a white feather trapped between stones.
The literal translation by Wai-Lim Yip: Rill of the House of the Luans
blast-blast --- autumn rain/s middle
lightly-lightly/shallow-shallow --- rock flow pour
jump wave/s-bead/s self mutual/each other splash
white egret startle again down
Blast of wind amidst autumn rains,
patter-patter upon rocky clod.
Jumping beads splash against each other.
A white egret - started - then down.
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Issue 1 ready to read. Poets for Peace.... ˇPoemas sí, balas no!
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