父亲写的散文诗 英文版 Papa's Verses

1984 I didn’t reap enough crops around

一九八四年 庄稼还没收割完

Nestled snugly in my arms,

my boy slept so sound

儿子躺在我怀里 睡得那么甜

No time left to see a film in the open ground

今晚的露天电影 没时间去看

My wife sighed wearily --

the old sewing machine was down

妻子提醒我 修修缝纫机的踏板

Tomorrow I would borrow more

from the next door

明天我要去 邻居家再借点钱

Craving for biscuits all day,

my poor boy cried on the floor

孩子哭了一整天哪 闹着要吃饼干

My old blue jacket could not

mask the heartfelt sore

蓝色的涤卡上衣 痛往心里钻

Squatting near a pond,

I punched myself twice or more

蹲在池塘边上 狠狠给了自己两拳

Those stanzas are locked up

in my papa’s journal

这是我父亲 日记里的文字

His verses record his youth

and make it eternal

这是他的青春留下 留下来的散文诗

Tears flowing hard,

my heart can’t help but tremble

多年以后我看着泪流不止

Aging in shadow,

he always stays so humble

可我的父亲已经老得像一个影子

1994 I reaped all crops around

一九九四年 庄稼早已收割完

My old mum departed this world

without a sound

我的老母亲去年 离开了人间

With a white shirt,

my boy rushed to school in the town

儿子穿着白衬衫 跑进了校园

He seemed to feel weighed down these days, losing several pounds

可是他最近有些心事 瘦了一大圈

In the years ahead,

I would be as old as useless paper

想一想未来 我老成了一堆旧纸钱

But then my boy would mature,

with duty on his shoulders

那时的儿子已是 真正的男子汉

A girl loves his soul and he would marry her

有个可爱的姑娘 和他成了家

Hope they could live a more beautiful life together

但愿他们 不要活得如此艰难

Those stanzas are locked up

in my papa’s journal

这是我父亲日记里的文字

His verses store his life and make it eternal

这是他的生命留下 留下来的散文诗

Tears flowing hard,

my heart can’t help but tremble

多年以后我看着泪流不止

Aging in shadow, he always stays so humble

可我的父亲已经老得像一个影子

Those stanzas are locked up

in my papa’s journal

这是我父亲日记里的文字

His verses store his life

and make it eternal

这是他的生命留下 留下来的散文诗

Tears flowing hard,

my heart can’t help but tremble

多年以后我看着泪流不止

Now he’s like the yellowed newspaper,

old and unnoticeable

可我的父亲在风中 像一张旧报纸

Bygone generations left their footprints

on this land

这是那一辈人留下的足迹

With winds and rains,

almost everything slipped from hands

几场风雨后就要抹去了痕迹

Memories of the past bring sorrows that I can’t stand

这片土地曾让我泪流不止

They have all been buried in tears

and shifting sands

可它埋葬了多少人辛酸的往事