Insomnia
A dark, algal night
Drifting, I haven’t had news of you in ages
Drifting, I haven’t had news of you in ages
May as well watch someone else, as a replacement
Car by car, I heard the train passing by
The lonely small-town platform
And forget to cam' away the long-waiting passenger
Is that so?
Many things from the past, now shuttle through my veins
Why do I keep thinking of cutting my wrist to let them out
To drip on a bone china plate
I guess this was yesterday’s meal
Or the undigested conversation from the dinner meeting
But that rich, moist red is simply
Like the flag of the country we are approaching
War, sulfur, escape
Followed by dream, then
Followed by dream, then
Wandering destitute all the way to the mouth of the river.
My feet sprout air roots
My hair circles like a water bird
At this moment the rain patters on the intertidal zone
What part of my body is the rain?
You occasionally open your eyes amid the unrest
To see if the person next to you in bed is still trapped deep in
sleep
Sometimes not knowing isn't so bad
The ocean you touch is so cold, in the darkness
The rustle of turning pages
But why does my waking wail without stop
Making me think someone is stretching forth a hand
To gently invert the hourglass of the night
-Translated by John J.S. BALCOM 陶忘機
〈失眠〉
水藻般的深夜
飄忽之中許久沒有你的消息
只好觀察另外一人，作為代替
我聽見火車一節一節穿過
那樣孤寂的小鎮月台
卻忘了將久候多時的旅客給帶走
是這樣嗎
昔日種種，今已穿梭在我身體之血脈
為何總想割開一點手腕放它們出來
滴落在骨瓷盤上
猜想這是昨日的飲食
還是餐會上消化不逮的交談
可是那殷潤的紅簡直
就像是我們臨近國家的旗幟
戰爭，硫磺，逃遁
接續是夢，然後
就是一路流落到河口了。
我的腳生長出氣根
我的髮絲盤旋著像是水鳥
此刻的潮間帶淅瀝下著雨
雨是我身體的哪個部分？
動盪之中偶而也會睜開眼睛
看看床邊那人，是否仍陷於深眠
無知想來也是好的
手觸及的大海如此冰冷，在黑暗中
發出書頁嘩嘩翻動的聲響
但我的醒為何不停哭嚎
使我以為有人伸了手
就輕輕倒置了夜的沙漏
（人間副刊20140410）
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