Gauguin by Ma Yongbo from The Art Culture and HIstory Anthology

 

Gauguin

 

(I am not ridiculous, I cannot be ridiculous

because I am both: a child and a savage)

 

The long street comes from the distance like a spotlight, stopping on his chest

along the moonlight, and he finds the title of the night

the wind is moving, the hair is like a whirl, and the birds are flying overhead

when the grains of sand shine on the boots, he is free

this is a rare joy: when he looks at the dream, he becomes a child

the waves jump up to catch the seagulls, flickering wildfire

the green coconut trees of Tahiti are seen green, the beach is seen far

and the shadow probing here and there is seen alive

the woman’s abduction of him will not succeed

a pile of ashes are left in the wood shed, there is still a man who loves him in the distance

thinking of it, the wind stops, he sees the brown smile of the skin

grayish, the bed is waiting for a picnic

after the wind blows, he looks at the sun to make his fingers red

he stops the passing girls, and asks where the sun is going

in the deep silence, he touches the mystery of the blossoming universe

the golden red head hangs like a giant star, and the sun makes a beehive

sitting among the waves on the blossoming and fading, he is motionless

six stars are flying by the wind flag

he only belongs to this rock of his own color

all his life he has been wondering: where are people going

 

 Biography

Ma Yongbo was born in 1964,Ph.D,representative of Chinese avant-garde poetry,and a leading scholar in Anglo-American poetry.He has published over eighty original works and translations since 1986 included 7 poetry collections.He focused on translating and teaching Anglo-American poetry and prose including the work of Dickinson, Whitman, Stevens, Pound, Williams and Ashbery. He recently published a complete translation of Moby Dick, which has sold over half a million copies. He teaches at Nanjing University of Science and Technology.