1 Poem by Bing Xin

The Paper-Boat

 — To Mother

Always I cherish even a sheet of paper,

And as a rule keep and keep it,

And fold it into one little boat after another,

Lowering them into the sea from my boat.

Some blown into the windows of the boat,

Others wetted by waves, sticking on the fore.

I remained heartened and fold it every day,  

Always hoping one of them would flow where I want it to.

Mother, if you see a little white boat in your dream,

Don’t feel surprised as it.

It is tearfully folded by your most loved daughter, through all rivers,

Asked to return loaded with her love and sorrow.

About the author:

Bing Xin (1900—1999), originally named Xie Wanying, female, was a native of Changle County, Fujian Province. In 1921, she joined the Literary Research Association sponsored by Mao Dun, Zheng Zhenduo and others. In 1923, she went to study in America. After her return to China in 1926, she taught in Yanching University and Qinghua University. From 1949 to 1951, she lectured “Chinese New Literature” at Tokyo University, Japan. After her return in the autumn of 1951, she was successively the member of China’s Federation of Literary and Art Circles, and the secretary at the Secretariat of Chinese Writers’ Association. Her major works include Stars, Spring Water, A Collection of Bing Xin’s Poems. She was also the translator of many collections of foreign poems. Her Complete Works of Bing Xin is known to the world. 

                                                (Tr. by Yang Xu)

[The editor's note:: the above work is selected from 300 New Chinese Poems (1917-2012), a Chinese-English college reader published by Poetry Pacific Press in October 2013.]

作者简介：

    冰心（1900—1999），本名谢婉莹，女，福建长乐县人。1921年加入茅盾、郑振铎等人发起的文学研究会。1923年赴美国留学。1926年回国后，曾在燕京大学、清华大学任教。1949年至1951年，在日本东京大学讲授“中国新文学”课程。1951年秋回国后，历任中国文联委员、中国作家协会书记处书记等职。主要作品有：诗集《繁星》、《春水》、《冰心诗集》及译诗集多种。另有《冰心全集》行世。

纸船

——寄母亲

我从不肯妄弃了一张纸，

  总是留着——留着，

叠成一只很小很小的船儿，

  从舟上抛下在海里。

有的被天风吹卷到舟中的窗里。

  有的被海浪打湿，沾在船头上。

我仍是不灰心的每天的叠着，

  总希望有一只能流到我要他到的地方去。

母亲，倘若你梦中看见一只很小的白船儿，

不要惊讶它无端入梦。

这是你至爱的女儿含着泪叠的，万水千山，

  求它载着她的爱和悲哀归去。