The Palace on the Mountaintop

—Poetry by Yuan Hongri, China
—Translated by Yuanbing Zhang, China 

—Public Domain Photos

EVERY GIANT LOOKS LIKE ANOTHER ME

There is a colossal ship in my golden state from outer space;
sometimes it visits me in dreams,
takes me to the interstellar city of giants
where there is my tomorrow's new home—
the streets are covered with multi-coloured gems,
the words of giants sound like music;
the gigantic buildings are the works of the Gods,
let you forget yesterday's self in an instant.
The whole giant city is your own garden,
and every giant looks like another me.

* * *

每一个巨人仿佛另一个自己

我天外的黄金之国有一艘巨轮
有时在梦境把我访问
载我去星际的巨人之城
那儿是我明天的新的家园
街道上铺满了五色的宝石
巨人们的话语仿佛乐曲
一座一座巨厦是天神的作品
让你刹那间忘了昨日的自己
那整座巨城是你自己的花园
而每一个巨人仿佛另一个自己 

THE PARADISES FROM OUTSIDE TIME

The heavenly flower from paradises on my palm
makes the wine of time twinkle with a smile of dawn.
When the ancient in your bones plays Guqin leisurely,
you will see the prehistoric self who is riding like the wind—
the mountains will be transparent and greet you,
the rivers will be mellow, as if they are surrounded with the jade belts.
There are a great many golden palaces on the clouds,
where there are your paradises from outside time.

* * *

时光之外的乐园

我手掌上这朵天国之仙葩
让时光之酒闪烁黎明之笑容
当你骨骼里的古人丁丁而弹琴
你看到了乘风而行的史前的自己
群山透明向你致意
河流芳醇如玉带萦绕
在云朵之上有巨多的金殿
那儿是你时光之外的乐园 

THERE’S A MUCH LARGER WORLD IN THE BODY

There's a much larger world in the body;
this is the secret that the ancient sages have told you.
Listening to the light pass through your body and play Guqin in your bones,
I noticed an old man, who was 30,000 years old, sitting in a palace on the mountain top.

There is an island in the depths of the ocean;
the goddess was so brilliant before the world had been born.
Her eyes will make you forget the sadness
for an instant, take you through those free and unfettered days outside.

* * *

在身体里有一个更大的世界

在身体里有一个更大的世界
这就是古代圣人告诉你的秘密
倾听光线穿过你的身体在骨骼里弹琴
看到一个老人三万岁了坐在山巅的一座宫殿

在海洋的深处有一座小岛
那位女神在世界诞生之前就如此灿烂
她的两只眼睛会让你忘了忧伤
一瞬间带你穿越那天外逍遥的日子 

THE WORLD IS JUST A LIE

The world is just a lie,
truth is on the other side of the world.
We can neither see the light of time
nor know that everything is a shadow on the running water.
There is another me on another planet,
you have never been born or died.
When the maze becomes transparent, the door of time-space opens,
you will shake hands and smile with the giant in the heavens.
The words are both music and the epic of the soul,
telling you that the palaces of outer space are incomparably lofty,
as if they are as endless as the mountains of gold.

* * *

世界只是一个谎言


世界只是一个谎言
真理在世界的另一面
我们看不到时间之光
不知道一切只是流水之上的影子
另外的星球上有另外的自己
你不曾出生也不曾死去
当迷宫透明时空之门敞开
你将和那天上的巨人握手微笑
那词语是乐曲也是灵魂之史诗
告诉你天外的宫殿无比的巍峨
如黄金之山岳连绵而无际
2020.03.17

_____________________

Today’s LittleNip:

A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song.

—Chinese Proverb

_____________________

Welcome back and thanks to Poet Yuan Hongri and his translator, Yuanbing Zhang, for fine poetry from China this morning! Yuan Hongri (b. 1962) is a Chinese mystic poet and philosopher. His work has been widely published in journals and magazines internationally in UK, USA, India, Mexico, New Zealand, Canada and Nigeria. He has authored a number of long poems, including “Platinum City”, “The City of Gold”, “Golden Paradise” and “Golden Giant”. The theme of his work is the exploration of human prehistoric and future civilization. Yuan was first featured in Medusa’s Kitchen on April 2, 2020.

Yuanbing Zhang (b. 1974), who is a Chinese poet and translator, works in a Middle School in Yanzhou District, Jining City, Shandong Province, China. He can be contacted through his email: 3112362909@qq.com.

Don’t forget that CSUS educator Tim Kahl will present a Zoom lecture tonight at 7:30pm on Asian Short Forms. Registration is required in advance at us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYldOCrrTIsGd3zdcXdxMayV4fVqsEXFc8Y/. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Info about the presentation can be found at www.facebook.com/events/1110020476058791/.

_____________________

—Medusa, with thanks again to Yuan Hongri and Yuanbing Zhang!

Yuan Hongri

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