2 Poems by Ji Xian

A City on Fire

Through the window of your soul,

I see a city on fire where there are no firemen

And the tide of madmen in nudity

In that deepest and darkest place.

I hear my name, my love’s name

My foe’s name

And countless names of the living and dead

Called in that infinite surge.

And when I make a gentle reply

Saying, “Yes, here I am”,

I, too, have become a

Terrible city on fire.

Your Name

In the gentlest voice in the world,

I gently call your name each and every night.

I write your name,

Draw your name.

And dream of your radiant name.

Sunny, starry, your name.

Lamp-like, diamond-like, your name.

Sparkle-like, lightning-like, your name.

Fire-in-the-raw-forest-like, your name.

I carve your name

Carve your name on the tree,

Carve your name on the everlasting tree of life.

When it grows into a sky-piercing one,

Oh, how good, how good,

Your name grows with it.

Grown, your name.

Radiant, your name.

Then, gently, gently and gently I call your name.

About the author:

Ji Xian (1913—2013), originally named Lu Yu, his former penname Louis, was born in Qingyuan County, Hebei Province, his ancestral homeland Zhouzhi County, Shaanxi Province. In 1933, he graduated from Suzhou Special School of Fine Arts. In 1936, he co-sponsored the monthly New Poetry in Shanghai with Dai Wangshu and Xu Chi. In 1948, he went to Taiwan. In 1953, he founded the quarterly Modern Poetry. In 1956, he sponsored and organized “Modern School”. In 1976, he settled in America. His major works are: The Star-Plucking Child, The Recorded Poems of a Drinker, The Areca(the first, second, third, fourth and fifth collections), Selected Poems of Ji Xian, Evening Scenes(collections of poems). His Ji Xian Essays on Poetics, and A Collection of Essays on New Poetry are also known to the world.

                                                                 (Tr. by Yang Xu) 

纪弦

火灾的城

从你的灵魂的窗子望进去，

在那最深邃最黑暗的地方，

我看见了无消防队的火灾的城

和赤裸着的疯人们的潮。

我听见了从那无垠的澎湃里

响彻着的我的名字，

爱者的名字，仇敌们的名字，

和无数生者与死者的名字。

而当我轻轻地应答着

说“唉，我在此”时，

我也成为一个

可怕的火灾的城了。

你的名字

用了世界上最轻最轻的声音，

轻轻地唤你的名字每夜每夜。

写你的名字，

画你的名字，

而梦见的是你的发光的名字：

如日，如星，你的名字。

如灯，如钻石，你的名字。

如缤纷的火花，如闪电，你的名字。

如原始森林的燃烧，你的名字。

刻你的名字！

刻你的名字在树上。

刻你的名字在不凋的生命树上。

当这植物长成了参天的古木时，

啊啊，多好，多好，

你的名字也大起来。

大起来了，你的名字。

亮起来了，你的名字。

于是，轻轻轻轻轻轻地唤你的名字。

作者简介：

纪弦（1913—2013），本名路逾，曾用笔名路易士。祖籍陕西周至县，生于河北清苑县。1933年毕业于苏州美专。1936年与戴望舒、徐迟在上海创办《新诗》月刊。1948年去台湾。1953年独资创办《现代诗》季刊。1956年发起组织“现代派”。1976年移居美国。主要作品有：诗集《摘星少年》、《饮者诗抄》、《槟榔树》（甲、乙、丙、丁、戊集）、《纪弦诗选》、《晚景》，另有诗论集《纪弦论诗》、《新诗论集》行世。