No. 61 TOC

Renditions no. 61 (Spring 2004)

Special Section: New Taiwan Poetry

Thirty-four established as well as young emerging poets representing the latest trends in New Poetry from Taiwan are included. The issue also contains a modern short story, Buddhist homilies and two classical letters.

135 pages

Order

Editor’s Page		5
————	Stories from Kumārajīva’s Buddhist Homilies Translated by Yuet Keung Lo	7
Xu Hongzu, Chen Jiru	Two Letters Translated by Julian Ward	19
	Xu Xiake’s Letter to Chen Jiru
	Chen Jiru’s Reply to Xu Xiake
Zhang Henshui	Dream the Fifteenth from Eighty-one Dreams Translated by T. M. McClellan	27
NEW TAIWAN POETRY
William Tay	Taiwan Poetry at the Turn of the 21st Century	50
Chou Meng-tieh	Door and Poetry Translated by Michelle Yeh	52
Fang Si	Bridge Translated by John Balcom	54
Xiang Ming	Last Call for Sowing Translated by Martha P. Y. Cheung	56
Guan Guan	long alley song Translated by Eva Hung	57
Shang Qin	With Time on its Back Waiting for Time Translated by David E. Pollard	58
Xin Yu	Impromptu 1 and 2 Translated by Chu Chiyu and Brian Holton	59
Lin Ling	The Fugitive Train: To an unknown companion on a trip, Poland, 1990 Translated by Lisa Wong	61
Suo Si	Between Agony and No Agony; Between Drowsiness and Consciousness Translated by Maghiel van Crevel	69
Hwang Chun-ming	Moonlight Comedy Translated by Janice Wickeri	69
Xiong Hong	No Need for Poetry Translated by Eva Hung	70
Yang Mu	The Lost Ring—for Chechnya Translated by Lisa Wong	71
Yan Xiang	The Shirt Translated by Martha P. Y. Cheung	82
Hsi Muren	Moonlight Illustrations Translated by Mamie Osborne and Zheng Jianqing	84
Zhang Cuo	She Lowers Her Head Translated by Michelle Yeh	86
Su Shaolian	Three Short Poems Translated by Mary M. Y. Fung	88
	Scars
	Tongues
	Chins
Ling Yu	Stele Woods Translated by Chu Chiyu and Brian Holton	90
Chen I-chih	A Chinese Valentine’s Day Palette Translated by Sylvia Lin	91
Chen Li	Wooden Fish Ballad Translated by Jane Lai	92
Yang Ze	I’m Living In … Translated by Chu Chiyu and Brian Holton	96
Lo Chih-cheng	Spring 2001, Unreachable Civilization Translated by Sylvia Lin	98
Chung Chiao	Grief in Time Translated by Maghiel van Crevel	100
Chen Ko-hua	The Station at the End of the World Translated by Simon Patton	102
Hui Tong	The sea needs consoling Translated by Michelle Yeh	104
Hong Hong	Terrorist Translated by Yau Wai-ping	106
Luo Ye	Hot Spring—for Ah Jie Translated by John Balcom	108
Lee Chin-wen	How I Feel About My Mother Translated by Janice Wickeri	110
Hsu Hui-chih	Remembrance in Emptiness Translated by Mary M. Y. Fung	113
Tang Juan	I want to but I can’t Translated by Chi-yin Ip	114
Yen Ai-lin	Apple in a Vase Translated by Chu Chiyu and Brian Holton	115
Sun Tzu Ping	Roar of the Tide at Chinpi Translated by Simon Patton	116
Wu Tai-ying	Sitting in front of the TV, cursing Translated by Yau Wai-ping and David E. Pollard	118
Lin Wan-yu	In the Mist Translated by Audrey Heijins and David Lunde	120
Yang Jiaxian	Moth at Dusk Translated by Audrey Heijns and David Lunde	122
Chen Chünhung	To Face Translated by Maggie Leung with Madeleine Marie Slavick	123
Notes on Authors		125
Notes on Contributors		132

Sample Reading

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HWANG CHUN-MING
Moonlight Comedy
Translated by Janice Wickeri

struggling to get hold of it’s what caused the whole thing

cloud’s grasp slipped and moon dropped

straight into the pool

who’d have known

moon was so slight it would strike without a sound

without making a splash

the pool, though, was broken

and moon was shattered

A—why did Li Bai bother?

the cloud, hurrying up afterward,

scooped up the broken years from the pool

and rushed them back to the heavens

黃春明：月夜的喜劇

都是因為爭著要抱

雲朵失手抱掉了月亮

直落水塘

不料

月亮竟輕得擊不出水聲

也濺不起水花

但是水塘破了

月亮也碎了

唉！李白何苦？

後頭趕上來的雲朵

把漂浮在水塘裏的歲月

急急忙忙撈回天上

HONG HONG
Terrorist
Translated by Yau Wai-ping

Almost all the audience have entered I suddenly need to pee oh bother I apologize as I brush by those who have just taken their seats I dash to the toilet outside the auditorium I start to pee the performance must have started by now after a while my elementary school teacher passes by and asks from the doorway what are you doing here but I’m not finished peeing after another while my platoon leader at Cheng Kung Ling* passes by he asks from the doorway what are you doing here I hem and haw after yet another while this time it’s my son he says dad you must be in somebody else’s dream and this person wants to pee there’s no way you’re getting out of this toilet before his desire to pee is resolved I say good but how do we alert him my son tilts his head and says maybe you kill me or I kill you this should wake him up does it really have to be this violent I feel frustrated well there’s another way having said that he turns to go during intermission I hear people say a kid has hijacked a plane and crashed it into the White House I burst out sobbing then they hurry back to their seats and those who have lost interest head home only I am left standing in the toilet still peeing is that person really going to wake up very very soon

——————–
*Military training centre in Taichung.

鴻鴻：恐怖分子

觀眾已經快要全部進場完畢我突然感到尿急真的是我一面道歉一面穿過那些剛坐好的觀眾匆匆跑到大廳外的廁所開始小便演出一定開始了吧過了一會我的小學老師從門外走過你還在這裏幹甚麼呢可是我還沒有尿完又過了一會我的成功嶺排長從門外走過你還在這裏幹甚麼呢我支支吾吾又過了一會這次是我的兒子他說爸爸你一定是在某一個人的夢裏而他想裊裊在他的尿意沒有解決之前你是沒有辦法離開這間廁所的我說好極了可是怎麼提醒他呢兒子歪了頭說不然你殺了我或者我把你殺掉這樣他應該會醒過來吧真的要這麼激烈嗎我覺得很氣餒不然還有個辦法他說完就轉身離開中場休息時觀眾說有個小孩劫了飛機衝進白宮我哭了然後他們又急著進去坐好或感到興味索然準備回家只有我還站在廁所裏繼續尿著真的嗎那個人快要快要醒過來了嗎

YEN AI-LIN
Apple in a Vase
Translated by Chu Chiyu and Brian Holton

who planted the apple

in my body?

month by month,

ripening with fruit

heavily falling into the depth of my womb,

I feel heavy, dizzy

as if something is going to happen

who granted me these sharp

scales of physiology?

the apple is ripe, rotting

into thick fluid,

and angrily, speedily

sinking down

leaving my body.

my scales, feeling

this tiny universe,

feel death.

then nothingness restored.

the apple has only one pip left,

with a solid tear-drop shape

hanging,

in my dark secret vase.

顏艾琳：瓶中蘋果

是誰將蘋果

種在我的體內？

每月每月，

它成熟著果實

沉沉落底在子宮中，

而我感覺滯重、暈眩

仿佛有甚麼即將發生。

是誰賦予我敏銳的

生理天秤？

那蘋果熟致腐爛

化為稠汁，

並且憤怒地、快速地

往下墜落

離開我的身體。

我的天秤，感覺

一個小小的宇宙，

死亡。

然後恢復無物。

那蘋果僅留一籽，

以結實的眼淚形態

懸于我幽密的花瓶，

之中。

Renditions no. 61 (Spring 2004)​

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