An Untitled - Tang Xiao Du / 唐晓渡

Tang Xiao Du / 唐晓渡







An Untitled

Part 1

All at once you get the offer of

a cigarette, my shoulder

and the figure of this flame, out of my grasp, leaving a trace like a wave

it makes the outline of your lips burn, sharper than the darkness–

I want to open my mouth, tell you

'It's not good for women to smoke'

but the night is already very slightly burnt

A police siren flickers

Who'd let his entire life dangle from his lips like this?

In—hale—ex—hale

inhale exhale inhale

exhalinhalexhalinhale

red redder redder still

It's exactly like this. It has to and could only be like this.

Morning comes, unclear

night takes off its long black coat in a corner by the wall

in the distance roosters are trying to crow

to one side someone whispers, 'Light!'

sighs, 'More light!'

But the smoked-down remains of cigarettes can't hear

buried in the ashes without a sound

colourless cold sunk

If an ashtray can mean something, then they mean something more

(Translated by W·N·Herbert)







无 题

1

递你一支烟

连同我的臂膀

连同火竖在我掌心的波浪

燃烧的唇线比黑暗更锋利

“女人抽烟不好”

——我刚想开口

夜已被隐隐灼伤

警灯闪亮

谁会把一生叼在嘴上

呼——吸——呼——吸

呼吸　呼吸 呼吸

呼吸呼吸呼吸呼吸

红　更红　再红些

——就这样！必须这样！只能这样！

晨曦微茫

夜在墙角脱下黑色的大氅

远处有雄鸡在试着打鸣

身边有人耳语：光！

呵，更多的光！

而那些吸剩的烟头听不见

它们埋在灰烬里一声不响

苍白　冷淡　深刻

比烟缸更是烟缸

***





Tang Xiao Du was born in Jan. 1954. He is a poetry critic and poet. For over 20 years Tang has mainly devoted himself to researching, criticizing, and compiling the Chinese contemporary poetry. He has published nine critical essays collections, also translated many poets’ works. His work is much anthologized at home and abroad. He was awarded Modern Writers Review Prize for excellent criticism in 2004, 2005, etc. In 2012, he won the first “Education Ministry’s Famous Column — Prize for Modern and Contemporary Poetics Research”. He also won the second “Prize for Contemporary Chinese Literary Critic” in 2013. In 2001, he was invited to attend the first World Citizens Assembly held in Lille, France. In Sept. 2008, he was invited to attend the 8th International Literature Festival Berlin. Since 2006, he began frequently to play the role of the organizer and the host of Chinese and foreign poets high-end communication projects.


唐晓渡. 1954 年1 月生。现为作家出版社编审、《当代国际诗坛》主编。中国作家协会会员，北京大学新诗研究所研究员。他多年来致力于中国当代诗歌的研究、评论和编纂工作，兼及诗歌创作和翻译。著有诗论、诗歌随笔集等九种；译有捷克作家米兰·昆德拉的文论集《小说的艺术》等；主编“二十世纪外国大诗人丛书”多卷本等。2012 年获首届教育部名栏·现当代诗学研究奖；2013 年获第二届当代中国文学批评家奖；2016 年获第十四届华语文学传媒盛典·年度批评家奖。 2001 年应邀出席在法国里尔举行的第一届世界公民大会。2008 年9 月应邀出席第八届柏林国际文学节。2006 年起多次组织并主持中外诗人高端交流项目。