Yanli’s poems with Anna Yin’s translations (严力诗和星子安娜的翻译

The translations are published on Live Encounters Poetry and Writings on Oct 28, 2022

冤枉 /严力

人们都反对战争
战争很冤枉
它说如果没有人类贪婪权势的
基因膨胀
哪会有战争的持续存在

士兵很冤枉
双方被逼到墙角
只剩下你死我活
或者投降后不一定能活下来的
选择

军火也很冤枉
如果不是高科技的推波助澜
很多矿石依然在土壤下静静地
享受安睡

说到底
被冤枉的
确实难以平反自己
2022.8.

translated by Anna Yin

何为见解

别以为你把冠冕堂皇的见解
搬进他人头脑后
就可以一劳永逸了
因为每个头脑里都有
为利益而准备的后门
所以你必须把时代见解
打造成暗中流行的家具
并且从后门悄悄地搬进去
2017.2 (严力)

What is Insight

Do not believe that it is over
after implanting a high-sounding insight
into others’ heads
because in each head there is
a back entrance prepared for profit
So you must mold the contemporary insight
as privately-fashioned furniture
and move it in soundlessly through the back door

2017.2 7 (Yan Li) Trans by Anna Yin