名字的森林：

——对2008年四川汶川地震死去孩子们姓名的一年冥思

诗作：Ian Boyden

翻译：陈晓维

詩夢(Shīmèng)

Poem Dream

“诗梦”，他们叫道。

万物应和，

“是的，我在。”

即便是微光中一粒尘。

雨菡(Yǔhàn)

Lotus Bud in Rain

那个清晨，花瓣绽放的声音

如信封

被一只颤抖的手撕裂

雪燕 (Xuěyàn)

Snow Swallow

所有燕子都已飞走

剩一只黑翅膀

旋入冰白的空气

她只有两岁。

柳均(Liǔjūn)

Willow of Equality

风能轻易将枝条拂起

我却无法穿过这垂泪的帘幕

于是我独自掘地

去寻找谦卑的根

林萌(Línméng)

Forest’s Beginning

冰封了几个世纪

嫩芽才钻出石缝

大声呼唤

向着日月

并为森林的巨影

那密不透风的挂毯

镶上蕾丝

代言 (Dàiyán)

On Behalf of Words

卡尺握得再紧

小鸟也要逃离被强加的名字

可是孩子

只能接受

直到有一天

他学会用卡尺丈量内心

心却变成了一只小鸟

它唱着：

无言

无言

瀚墨 (Hànmò)

Vast Ink

日出时

白羽毛从天空飘落

空空

一世纪的灼烧

把它熏黑

黑得可以抹去星辰

 林萤 (Línyíng)

Forest of Fireflies

这一生

都在把光明的脉冲

射向虚空

并等待

直到终于明白

脉冲本身

已是回应

沁鑫(Qìnxīn)

Percolating A Golden Infinity

心若流动如水

那它刻划了怎样的峡谷？

冲积出的广阔海滩又在哪里？

还有， 那悲鸣

那白如牡蛎的飞鸟

亦同此心吗？

宇涵 (Yǔhán)

Saturated Universe

一生的书信

已翻入岷江

她无力打捞

便饮尽墨染的江水

坤 (Kūn)

Earth

他们说闪电是从地面升起

并以弧线的姿态刺向天空

背负着所有名字

萬容(Wànróng)

Myriad Container

陶罐破碎

一万片疑问四散于瓦砾

每一片

都用自己的方式发问

我们仍是一体吗？

漆宇(Qīyǔ)

Lacquer Cosmos

黑漆桶般的心性

究竟为何物？

纯黑的反光

即便无视

也必看到

我们给棺材涂上漆

以树木之血 ——

一千个白昼的光照

恆 (Héng)

Fixed

月亮——天空那白色的心脏

是什么

使你悬在那里？

鼓声中的龙舟

百桨击水

文林(Wénlín)

Literary Forest

这片森林曾在满月下树影摇曳

今夜月缺

森林亦成荒丘

一霖(Yīlín)

At One with Copious Rain

他是和着流云

和着树叶伴奏的鸟鸣

雾气缭绕 江河水涨

他是随着一方坠石

而现在

他抱紧记忆

相依于言语

那脆弱的殿堂

地震周年 (the anniversary of the earthquake)

浩澜(Hào‘án)

Vast Swelling Waves

在第八个生日，他告别人世

他们画出“8”

也代表无穷

他们画出这个阿拉伯数字

像张地图

在某个十字路口

等待儿子

他们画下“8”

如同那是他的名字

一扇上锁的门

一封信

或水中的一朵莲花

他并未坠入深渊

今天，他的名字再次浮现

 爽(Shuǎng)

Clear and Crisp

当字典打开

一个字

闪出秋天的光

然后，就像是现在

她用这个字

把那些应验或没应验的预言

轻轻抱在怀里

保微 (Bǎowēi)

Protector of the Subtle

她想保住那一豆光

暮色中最暗的星星

像保住一个婴儿

 誠 (Chéng)

Sincerity

如果一定要说点什么

为我送行

请别冠冕堂皇

就用大地的语言吧

瀚拱(Hàngǒng)

Encircling Vast Ocean

如果你的心是枝毛笔

你会用它写下什么

让潮汐的墨汁亲吻海岸吧

 陳林(Chénlín)

Narrator of Forests

森林蔓延 升腾 疯长

地平线上浮起一座寺庙

海市蜃楼

雨佳(Yǔjiā)

Rain Beauty

五年来

在云层和大地之间

作为一面棱镜

她折射日光

她的身体

创作出雨

禹軒(Yǔxuān)

The Pavilion of Yu the Great

建造时不用一砖一瓦

崩塌时也无只言片语

焱文(Yànwén)

Written of Infinite Fire

他捕获一缕烟

制成墨

写下整整一生的诗

蓓(Bèi)

Flower Bud

轻轻捧着

他们说不出她的名字

而她静默在那里

等待着电闪雷鸣

唯 (Wéi)

Only

就算是现在

如果呼唤她的名字

你也会立刻变成一只歌唱的鸟

露涛(Lùtāo)

Wave of Dew

从每根杂草枯萎的叶片

从遗落在门口的那双球鞋

从混凝土和螺纹钢之间

大水漫过

犹如朝露

我们失足在被它无视的痛苦里

森林(Sēnlín)

Infinity of Trees

一朝栽下，名字便开始滋长

如今，黄沙掩埋汉唐烟树

每一对脚印都稍纵即逝

銘皓(Mínghào)

Inscription of Luminosity

秋天的蜘蛛编织它的铭文

用露水，用游移的光

它还未网住一只昆虫

却已捕获了我的心

秀梅(Xiùméi)

Flourishing Plum

你很少注意到树木创作的诗篇

直到它用金色光线写毕最后一行

于是，你看到黑色鸟群会聚在果实之上

藝豪 (Yìháo)

Heroic Art

谁揉捏陶土

它便在内心

镌刻谁的手

而每个失败的器型

每个易碎的结构

也无不脱胎于

我们的过错

芯儀(Xīnyí)

Ceremonial Heart

黑色烛芯上的火焰

蜡因燃烧自己得到光明

芊榆(Qiānyú)

Luxuriant Elm

一千片叶子簌簌抖动

好啊，好啊

然后船只，梦到有水

在树木体内涨起

詩蕓(Shīyún)

Poem of Rue

翰林院

有祥云氤氲 樟脑飘香

鸣虫一定是到别处

诵诗去了

純權(Chúnquán)

Simple Right

孩子最基本的权利

就是不必畏惧强权

雪庭 (Xuětíng)

Snow Courtyard

雪的手敲响法官的木槌

一个白色的宣判

在天空阴霾之下

在无辜和罪孽之上

菲(Fēi)

Fragrant Radish

它如此快乐地生长

土壤那红色的心

它的根缠绕着

小鸟折断的双翅

 訓(Xùn)

Instruct

词语从舌尖涌出

穿过它亲手编织的风景

石头，记忆，影子，火焰

英文原文：

“A Forest of Names: One Year of Meditating on the Names of Children Lost in the 2008 Sichuan Earthquake”

The following pomes are from the manuscript “A Forest of Names: One Year of Meditating on the Names of Children Lost in the 2008 Sichuan Earthquake” by  Ian Boyden.

Translated by 陈晓维

          1.6               詩夢 (Shīmèng)

Poem Dream

“Poem Dream,” they called.

And everything answered,

“Yes, I’m here,”

even the dust settling in the raw sunlight.

        1.21               雨菡 (Yǔhàn)

Lotus Bud in Rain

That morning, the petals’ opening

sounded like an envelope

torn by a shaking hand.

        1.24               雪燕(Xuěyàn)

Snow Swallow

Long after the others had flown

one wing-black spiral

through ice-white air.

She was two years old.

柳均 (Liǔjūn)

Willow of Equality

The wind swept them so easily,

yet I could not pass through the weeping branches.

So I dug the earth alone,

feeling for the roots of humility.

        2.11               林萌 (Línméng)

Forest’s Beginning

Once lost to centuries of ice,

the seeds split stones and called out

toward the sun and moon,

and so laced a tapestry

of impenetrable shadow.

        2.20               代言(Dàiyán)

On Behalf of Words

No matter how carefully they held the calipers,

the birds always escaped their names.

But the child,

the child slowly grew into his.

Until one day,

he held calipers to his own heart,

only to have it become a bird,

and it sang:

no words,

no words.

        2.23               瀚墨(Hànmò)

Vast Ink

At sunrise,

the white feather fell

from an empty sky.

Now blackened

with a century of burning,

it erases the stars.

          3.3               林萤 (Línyíng)

Forest of Fireflies

For a lifetime we pulsed

messages of light into the void, and waited,

until we understood our message

was also our answer.

          3.6               沁鑫  (Qìnxīn)

Percolating A Golden Infinity

The mind flows like water

But what canyons does it carve?

Where are the great beaches of sand?

And are these plaintive sounds

of the oyster-white birds

also this same mind?

        3.11               宇涵(Yǔhán)

Saturated Universe

A lifetime of letters spilled

into the Min River

Helpless to gather them

she drank the ink-blackened water

          4.9               坤 (Kūn)

Earth

They say lightning travels up from the ground,

arcs into the sky above.

So it is with names.

        4.11               萬容 (Wànróng)

Myriad Container

The urn shattered,

ten thousand questions scattered

in the stone dust.

But each in its own way asked,

are we still one?

        4.19               漆宇 (Qīyǔ)

Lacquer Cosmos

What is this mind

like a bucket of black lacquer?

Dark liquid of pure light

where one sees without seeing.

We paint the coffin

with the blood of trees—

a thousand days of sunlight.

          5.6               恆  (Héng)

Fixed

Moon-white heart of the sky.

What holds you in one place?

The oar at one with the drum.

          5.7               文林  (Wénlín)

Literary Forest

Where the full moon once cast shadows of woven branches,

the new moon looks upon barren ground.

        5.10               一霖 (Yīlín)

At One with Copious Rain

One with parted cloud,

with leaf-drummed birdsong

of swirling vapor and swollen river,

one with fallen stone.

Now one with memory itself

in the delicate halls of language.

        5.12               (the anniversary of the earthquake)

浩澜  (Hào‘án)

Vast Swelling Waves

He died on his eighth birthday.

They drew the number eight—

the figure of infinity.

They drew the number

as a map,

and waited for their son

at the crossroads.

They drew it

as if it were his name,

a locked door,

a letter,

orchid-like within the water.

His absence an abyss.

Today, may his name overflow.

          6.1               爽(Shuǎng)

Clear and Crisp

The dictionary fell open,

a single word offering

autumn light.

Then, as now,

her name cradles the broken

and unbroken lines of divination.

          6.7               保微  (Bǎowēi)

Protector of the Subtle

She was to protect rippling light,

even the faintest star at twilight,

as if it were a child.

        6.12               誠(Chéng)

Sincerity

If I am to be completed by words,

let them be the words of earth

and not of abdication.

        6.18               瀚拱(Hàngǒng)

Encircling Vast Ocean

Imagine your heart as a brush.

What would you write with it?

Its tidal ink caressing the shore.

        7.10               陳林(Chénlín)

Narrator of Forests

The forest seemed limitless, rising, leafing,

a fluid temple upon the undulating earth.

        7.14               雨佳(Yǔjiā)

Rain Beauty

For five years she prismed light

between cloud and earth,

her body composed of rain.

        7.21               禹軒(Yǔxuān)

The Pavilion of Yu the Great

Built without laying a single stone.

Smashed without a word of acknowledgement.

        7.26               焱文(Yànwén)

Written of Infinite Fire

He captured just a little wisp of smoke.

Made an ink to give verse to an entire lifetime.

          8.5               蓓 (Bèi)

Flower Bud

Held so quietly,

they failed to call her name.

Still, she sat

and waited for the thunder.

        8.26               唯 (Wéi)

Only

就算是现在

如果呼唤她的名字

你也会立刻变成一只歌唱的鸟

        8.27               露涛 (Lùtāo)

Wave of Dew

On every withered blade of grass,

on the shoes left at the door,

over the concrete rubble and twisted rebar…

the wave passes as if oblivious to our troubles.

Only we stumble upon its ephemerality.

          9.1               森林(Sēnlín)

Infinity of Trees

Once planted, the name proliferated.

Today, desert sand fills around the ancient trunks.

Any footprints quickly disappear.

          9.9               銘皓(Mínghào)

Inscription of Luminosity

The autumn spider weaves its inscriptions

with dew, with shifting light.

It may not yet have caught an insect,

but it has caught my heart.

        9.14               秀梅(Xiùméi)

Flourishing Plum

We scarcely noticed the tree writing its poem

until the last lines filled with golden light.

Then we eyed the dark birds gathering to the fruit.

       10.10               藝豪 (Yìháo)

Heroic Art

He kneads the earth

and earth measures his absence.

Studies of impossible form

rise above brittle structures

of our failing.

       10.11               芯儀 (Xīnyí)

Ceremonial Heart

Flame above the candle’s black wick.

Wax fills with the light of its own burning.

       10.22               芊榆(Qiānyú)

Luxuriant Elm

A thousand leaves quivering yes, yes.

And the boat, dreaming of water,

grows within the tree.

       11.25               詩蕓  (Shīyún)

Poem of Rue

The royal library

filled with clouds of dried rue.

Insects must go elsewhere

to read poetry.

純權  (Chúnquán)

Simple Right

The simple right of a child

not to fear sovereignty.

        12.2               雪庭  (Xuětíng)

Snow Courtyard

The hand of snow upon the gavel.

A white sentence under a dark sky

beyond innocence and guilt.

       12.15               菲  (Fēi)

Fragrant Radish

It grew with such delight,

red heart of soil,

its roots tangled

in the broken wings of a bird.

       12.19               訓 (Xùn)

Instruct

Words spill from the tongue

through a landscape of their own making.

Stone, memory, shadow, flame.