BALLAD OF QUEEN’S PIER史春波, 乔治·奥康奈尔 译
皇后碼頭歌謠廖伟棠
PoemWikiTogether we suffer cold wind, harsh rain.
Together we’re cloaked by stars, crowned by the moon.
—Chao Yiu-fai “The Queen’s Knaves”
共你淒風苦雨
共你披星戴月
——周耀輝《皇后大盜》
That night I saw a fisherman lower a white candle
in deep water off the pier, lighting a path for the spirits.
Woo-oo, I’m a breath of wind, loitering a moment, don’t want to leave.
That night I saw a chess player scrawl characters on a chessboard,
like a Kowloon calligrapher’s sprawling script, each a mystery.
Woo-oo, I’m a breath of wind, loitering a moment, don’t want to leave.
That night I saw a dancer dance, her white dress
a flowing cloud, but overhead a gold monkey, glaring eyes, gnashing teeth.
Hoo-oosh, I’m a drizzle of rain, pattering, don’t want to leave.
That night I saw a widower drum a pot and sing,
clear and strong as forty years ago, a young man with no qualms.
Hoo-oosh, I’m a drizzle of rain, pattering, don’t want to leave.
“Together we’re cloaked by stars, crowned by the moon.”
Tonight I’m burning letters at the pier,
from a thousand building spires demons rise.
Together we boil the rain, ignite the wind, conjure from a furnace winged frost.
How absurd! I’m just one man, gnawing my fingers, scribbling in air.