我想谈说种种纯洁的事情 I wish to speak of all things pure

I keep receiving very kind comments on how much readers enjoyed this blog, so although I no longer live in Beijing, I’ll update it here and there with interesting things that I come across. As you can imagine, there is actually a huge backlog of things that I never posted on this blog.

About a year ago, in the midst of semester exams during my graduate program, I was thoroughly stressed out from the stress of trying to complete a particularly dull exam. So, of course! it was time for procrastination. Normal people play video games, or whatever…I translated this poem on the transience of life.

I’m not entirely certain if my translation does the poem justice, so if you see any errors, please do tell me!

我想谈说种种纯洁的事情
何其芳

我想谈说种种纯洁的事情,
我想起了我最早的朋友,最早的爱情。

地上有花。天上有星星。
人——有着心灵。
我知道没有什么东西能够永远坚固,
在自然的运行中一切消逝如朝露。
但那些发过光的东西是如此可珍,
而且在它们自己的光辉里获得了永恒。
我曾经和我最早的朋友一起坐在草地上读着书籍,
一起在星空下走着,谈着我们的未来。
对于贫穷的孩子它们是那样富足。
我又曾沉默地爱着一个女孩子,
我是那样喜欢为她做着许多小事情。
没有回答,甚至于没有觉察,
我的爱情已经和十五晚上的月亮一样圆满。
呵,时间的灰尘遮盖了我的心灵,
我太久太久没有想起过他们!
我最早的朋友早已睡在坟墓里了。
我最早的爱人早已作了母亲。
我也再不是一个少年人。
但自然并不因我停止它的运行,
世界上仍然到处有着青春,
到处有着刚开放的心灵。
年轻的同志们,我们一起到野外去吧,
在那柔和的蓝色的天空之下,
我想对你们谈说种种纯洁的事情。

I wish to speak of all things pure
He Qifang

I wish to speak of all things pure,
I think of my oldest friend, my oldest love.
Flowers on the ground, stars in the sky
Human beings—have souls.
I know that nothing is forever or solid
It all fades away naturally like dew
But things that were once bright remain precious,
In their own light they gain an eternity.
Together my oldest friend and I sit on the grass reading books,
Together we walk beneath the starry sky, we speak of the future.
For poor youths this is enough.
I also once silently loved a girl.
I took pleasure in doing many small things for her.
But there was never a response, not even awareness,
My love only needed the fifteen days to the full moon to be completed.
Ah, time’s dust covers my mind
For too long I have not thought of them!
My oldest friend already sleeps in a grave.
My oldest love has already become a mother.
I am no longer a teenager.
But the cycle of nature will not stop because of me
The world will always have its young,
Everywhere there will be newly opened spirits and minds
My young comrades, let us go outdoors
Under the gentle blue sky,
With you I wish to speak of all things pure.

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