Old Man
You are a river moving slowly over the rocks.
The moon is your lantern,
quivering on the water.
Your back is bent from carrying
your worries to the other shore.
(Nolcha)
Each of us nurtures deep within the flesh
an old man with endless patience.
Each of us carries countless others
in our very bones. In time,
they will replace us—as Germanic
mercenaries replaced the Roman legions.
(Yongbo)
An aged eagle rests in the scent of water
on the rocks. White and silver catch
on the hook of his beak.
As a younger bird, he was the emblem
of strength and youth—
white feathers in wisps and whiskers;
his claws still carry more than water
(Helen)
Old man eagle, you’re the last of your kind.
You carry childhood’s end in your claws.
The days grow cold. Your birth nest is empty.
Perhaps this winter will be your last.
(Nolcha)
Perhaps the feathers of the aged
eagle will drift upon the stream,
lingering long before they sink.
Icarus has long vanished
beneath another stretch of water.
Ere the stream merges into the sea,
the waters suddenly widen.
High above, the eagle’s phantom
still gazes down on earth and flowing tides.
Its talons yet clutch dark crags and thunder.
Its plume crown, richly hued,
fades into the golden glow of the setting sun.
(Yongbo)
Little lowering sun, little frail clawed foot,
little low ankle suspended,
brightly clasping the fishless air and water,
the splash of silver body escapes the rocks,
moves upstream regardless of age or vigor,
getting ever smaller like
the diminishing point of a silver dart
(Helen)
Yongbo’s Translation into Chinese
老人
（诺尔查）
你是一条溪流，缓缓淌过岩砾。
明月作灯，在水面微微摇曳。
为将万般愁绪渡往彼岸，你的脊背早已佝偻。
（永波）
我们每个人的血肉深处，
都藏着一位隐忍无尽的老者。
每一副筋骨之中，
都栖着无数旁人。终有一日，他们会取代我们——
一如日耳曼佣兵，取代了罗马军团。
（海伦）
苍老的雄鹰栖于临水岩上，周身萦绕水汽。
银白霜色，凝在弯钩般的喙尖。
盛年之时，它曾是力量与朝气的象征。
如今白羽零落，似鬓边霜丝；
利爪之上，承载的远不止流水。
（诺尔查）
苍老的雄鹰，你已是族群最后的孑遗。
利爪间，攥着逝去的童年。
天光渐寒，旧日巢窠早已空寂。
或许这个冬日，便是你生命的终章。
（永波）
也许，暮年之鹰的羽毛将散落在溪水中
久久不肯沉落，伊卡洛斯早已消失
在另一片水面。也许，水流入海以前
水面突然开阔，而在高处，那鹰的幻影
依然俯视着大地与流水，利爪中
依然紧握着黑色的巉岩与雷霆
羽冠斑斓，渐次消融于落日的金黄
（海伦）
落日低徊，纤足细弱，脚踝悬荡，
耀眼地紧握住无鱼的水与空茫。
银亮的身姿溅起水声，挣脱岩石，
逆流而上，无视年岁与筋骨，
越来越小，如银镖尖端，逐渐淡去。
（诺尔查）
© Ma Yongbo, Helen Pletts, and Nolcha Fox
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| Ma Yongbo |
Ma Yongbo is a Ph.D., a representative of Chinese avant-garde poetry, and a leading scholar in Anglo-American poetry. He has published over 80 original works and translations since 1986, including 6 poetry collections. He focuses on translating and teaching Anglo-American poetry and prose, including the works of Dickinson, Whitman, Stevens, Pound, Williams, and Ashbery. He recently published a complete translation of Moby Dick, which sold over half a million copies. He teaches at Nanjing University of Science and Technology.
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| Helen Pletts |
Helen Pletts 海伦·普莱茨 is the English co-translator of the Chinese poet Ma Yongbo 马永波, who is her official Chinese translator. She is a committee member of CB1 Poetry, the established monthly poetry reading event in central Cambridge, UK, which has organized poetry readings for many years. CB1 features up-and-coming writers and well-known poetry names. Her work has been translated into Chinese, Bangla, Greek, Vietnamese, Serbian, Korean, Arabic, Italian, Albanian, and Romanian. Website: https://www.helenpletts.com/.
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| Nolcha Fox |
Nolcha Fox’s poems have been curated in print and online journals. A best-selling author, her poetry books are available on Amazon and Dancing Girl Press. Nominated for Best Of The Net and the Pushcart Prize multiple times. Editor of Chewers by Masticadores and LatinosUSA. Website: https://writingaddiction2.wordpress.com/.
