Issue 10 Poetry

You Might Have Been My Brother

November 1, 2015 Issue 10, Issue 10 Poetry, Poetry, Translation

Translated by STEPHEN HAVEN and LI YONGYI
You might have been my brother, especially at dawn
Milky vapors rise into the sky,
That white adolescence wafting into my lungs.

Coins Tossed in All Directions

November 1, 2015 Issue 10, Issue 10 Poetry, Poetry, Translation

By MO FEI

Translated by STEPHEN HAVEN and LI YONGYI

Coins tossed in all directions,
The sky pure as after an oath,
You note threads of dark fate,
Tassels stitched to words.

1967

November 1, 2015 Issue 10, Issue 10 Poetry, Issues, Poetry, Translation

By YANG JIAN

Translated by STEPHEN HAVEN and LI YONGYI

They said:
“Tear off the erhu strings,
Smash its body.”
We ended up without music.

Volunteer

November 1, 2015 Issue 10, Issue 10 Poetry, Poetry

By DAVID LEHMAN

The drill instructor was not in a good mood. He had had a mi-
graine all weekend. The weather sucked. He hated sports and there
were going to be no pleasantries about the Yanks, the Mets, the
Knicks, the Nets, or any other team. He knew as I knew that every-
thing depended on one thing: the book. You went by the book. Fol-
low orders and stay out of trouble.