This was the most difficult to date, three separate versions before I found
this one.
The ninth in a series of transformations of Wang Wei's River Wang poems.)
A River Transformed IX: After Wang Wei's The Cornel Grove (7)
An Unintended Interlude
A sign flashes green - red; red - green:
O_en _losed O_en _losed O_en,
the café parking lot promises weeds
and gossip from a month old newspaper,
our destination beyond thistle fields
and crabapple hedges.
Leaden clay spatters the windshield,
wind pushes us towards an edge.
Our journey less than half over,
you will pour me the first cup
and argue that we can not outrun the storm.
I will shrug despite one shoulder's pain.
Tipsy birds pass fruit from beak to beak,
each bead a suggestion of promises to come.
The literal translation from a web site.
Bear fruit red and green
Again as if flower further open
Hill at if remain guest
Place here cornel cup
http://www.chinese-poems.com/ww6.html
The fruit has been translated as dogwood berries. A cornel cup would be a
cup made of dogwood. The poem has been titled Rivers of Dogwood, but is
seldom translated.
GO TO http://www.mindfirerenew.com/ THE BEST NEW ZINE ON THE WEB and to
http://www.mindfirerenew.com/FireWeed/0904-front.html for our new monthly
mini-zine. Poets for Peace.... ˇPoemas sí, balas no!
|
