The Traveller of the East

Breakfast gives us bread, jam, cream
And tea. I look outside the window at the fat pigions.
The surrounding visitors are in slow motion,
Aquarium.

I climb up by following the bubbles.

Four color-patched mini horses have a wonderful performance,
What they expected is oats,
The joy when chewing bit by bit.

I climb up by following the thundering applaud.

The Summer when the bulldozer has passed through,
I exchange eye-sight with a stranger,
The deity of death is a great stalkerazzi,
By means of a certain eye,
Choosing a certain angle.

I climb up by following the stranger's aspiration.

That cyclist's expression is deformed,
He cannot stop, retreat from the jet stream.
Similar to a certain finger in piano playing.

I climb up by following the melody.

Somebody has fallen asleep when waiting for the train,
He has started his trip from after the destination.
The answering machine of a phone says:
Please leave a message after the tone.

(translated by oswald from poem 東方旅行者 by Bei Dao)
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