Teardrop at the Columbia Icefields - Tian Yongchang / 田永昌

Tian Yongchang / 田永昌




Teardrop at the Columbia Icefields

Do you see
The blue lake at the ice field in the front
Where snowy mountains stand still upside down
Where snowy cedar trees stand still upside down
For the moment
Even the birds are gliding silently across the lake upside down
Yes, if you go further
You will see the image of yourself in the lake quietly upside down
Isn't it breathtakingly beautiful?

However, something has prevented me from taking one pace forward
Yes, I dare not, and I do not want to
I think of the long and scorching summer in my hometown of Shanghai
The snowstorm battering the Northeast United State
And the flooding in Europe that have left thousands of people trapped in homes …
What's wrong with the Earth? What is wrong?
I look at the lake on the ice field
It is formed by the melting glaciers from thousands of years ago

Isn't it the answer to the problems of the Earth these years?
It is formed by the tears of the Columbia Icefields
Trust me,
If we don't take care of the Earth from now on
These glaciers will melt faster as climate change speeds up
We humans will eventually drown in the tears of the Icefields
Trust me, it will happen for sure
Because for the moment, I am standing by the most beautiful lake at the Icefields
I see the tears, I hear the cries
It's tears of the Icefields, it's the cries of human beings





哥伦比亚大冰原的泪珠

你看见了吗
前方大冰原上那蓝色的湖
雪山静静地倒映着
雪松静静地倒映着
甚至冰原上空翔飞的鸟儿
飞到这儿也静静倒映着
是的，你再向前走
你也会在湖水中静静倒映着……
美吗？
美得让人有点窒息

此刻，我却不敢向前走半步
是的，我不敢，我想起了
黄浦江畔那难熬的酷夏
美利坚大地上那疯狂的暴雪
欧洲各肄虐的洪水……
地球怎么啦，怎么啦
我看见了大冰原上的湖
这万千年大冰原融化而成的湖啊
难道答案不正在这里

是的，答案就在这里
这是哥伦比亚大冰原的泪珠
你相信吗？再不保护地球
地球持续变暖冰原冰川融化
地球人终将会淹没在大冰川泪滴里
我信，一万万个相信
因为我现在就在大冰原最美的湖边
看见泪滴，听见哭泣
那是大冰原的哭泣，也是地球人的哭泣啊





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Tian Yongchang is a poet, writer and senior media reporter. He is a member of the China Writers Association as well as a member of the Shanghai Collectors Association.
He had been in "Wenhui Daily", a Chinese daily newspaper based in Shanghai.There he was the vice dean of the PEN, a literature page of classic books, plays ,stories, poems ,essays and reviews. So far, he has published sixteen books of poems, essays and journalistic reports, including "Tian Yongchang's Collected Works"(three volumes). Several of his poems have been translated into English, French, Japanese and Serbian.


田永昌，出生于山东青州，现居上海。十七岁投笔从戍，在东海舰队舰艇部队当过枪炮军士长、文化部创作员和文艺干事，有过参战经历，并有“水兵诗人”之称。1981 年转业至《文汇报》社，担任笔会副刊部副主任，后调任《文学报》任副总编辑。1960 年代初开始在《诗刊》《新民晚报》《文汇报》《解放日报》《萌芽》《收获》《解放军文艺》等报刊发表作品。先后出版有《田永昌文集》（三卷）《醉里挑灯赏壶》《只为你爱我》《田永昌短诗选》（中英文对照）《啊，飘带》《田永昌环球摄影诗》等诗歌、散文、报告文学、收藏、摄影等专著十七种。作品曾多次在军内外获奖，被收入中学语文课外读本，并被中国现代文学馆、中国当代名人手稿馆等收藏。
现为中国作家协会会员、上海收藏家协会会员、上海酒文化专业委员会专家顾问。
曾担任上海作家协会第六、七、八届理事，诗歌委员会副主任，浙江省作家协会常务理事。