【天玉之原創英文詩歌習作集】（2015-2023）(1-10）
文/天玉之
1.
【A Van Gogh's Sunflower】
In Van Gogh's vase of sunflowers,
Some are withering in hearts,
Some are dying in their souls ——
What color is your sunflower?
Is it in Van Gogh's golden yellow,
As if the sun blazes through the back of the paper,
Shines on the petals, on the tiny seeds,
Radiates those around you?
Oh, be a Van Gogh's flaming sunflower,
Bloom bright yellow,
With your wide open eyes, a fiery soul,
Even in thunders and rain, hear musical, until
One day, you are too old to utter a word,
Or make a difference, a sudden, painless death,
As falling sun-kissed seeds scream to spread
In the spring soil,
Like what you did, a hundred years ago
* I have read the biography of Van Gogh when I was in my 20s. It was a very thick book but I finished it. It had a lasting effect on me. I went to “Beyond Van Gogh” last summer with my girlfriend and we had a great time there. Here is a video of that visit. Let's see how many paintings you can recognize from it. It was very interesting for me to read about each of the painting's creative background, some were directly from Vincent's own words. I hope you too enjoy the art and the video! ～～
2.
【Seven Jasmine Blossoms】
A fresh fragrance leads me to the garden patio,
Ten white jasmine buds bloom
After last night’s summer drizzle.
I pick three blossoms and put them in my tea,
Just the right amount of sweetness it needs.
The other seven I have to let go,
They wither and fall onto the dirt below,
Their existence, no one else on earth know, except
The scent lingers in my deepest memory,
It gets stronger as I grow old
3。
【Sweet Pause】
Thanks for the sweet pause
From summer’s cicada songs,
In the middle of each year,
Miss someone dearly from afar,
With soft songs humming in my head，
Like a bumble bee sings to a rose，
Knowing probably being thought of
On those days as well
4.
【Lost for Words】
I am not a cry baby, you know that
Even if I would like to, today
Create my own pond with rain water,
Not a dam built for me in sight
I could show you a pyramid of sadness,
Built with little rocks from river of time,
Quiet as old stamps locked in my drawer
What would you say, anyway, if I do?
Are you going to break the barbwire,
Rush to me, hold a rujiao lotus flower bowl to
Catch my tears? How I wish
The answer were not so clear
To say that I am not loved or unlucky
That is not the case either
A woman like me, one of a kind，
Is it really hard for men to fall on me?
Please forgive me, I lost for words on this day,
My love, stay where you are, keep watching ——
The blue ocean is making waves of its own,
Where you belong
5.
【A Little Sailboat】
From the north, comes the naughty wind
One moment, sends me to cloud high,
Next second, pours over my head
Buckets of cold rain
So I dock the boat, not going anywhere ——
There is always a sunny tomorrow, and
Ample time, to feel the strong, warm blow,
Pushing me from behind
As the tempest howling at the sea,
I hide my head in the tender arms of
A calm bay, like a snuggling little dachshund,
Sleep tight, dream sweet dreams
6.
【Beautiful Wind】
I am nothing but a tiny swirl of wind,
Passing by this vast universe and time,
A journey, only those living and touched care
You have heard my sunny laughter, when I
Play with blue waves, my sigh and whimper
On spring nights, over raindrops of heart
I have showed my howling wrath by
Joining forces in tornadoes, to eradicate polio,
Sweep away injustice and evils
More often, I escape to rose gardens,
Dance with butterflies of light wings, similar spirits,
Resonate with heartbeats of flowers, soak in fragrances
Time will come when my swift journey ends,
Like sand in a palm of hands, I settle on a hill where
Ocean waves chant, days and nights,
Watching the sun rises from the sea,
I embrace the eternal stillness of a wind
" Polio, a rotarian's mission to eradicate it from the world
7.
【A Few Magical Places】
I have been global trotting lately
Eight countries, three continents
Miles after miles, high and low
The world is never short of
Beautiful sites, things, and people
But there are a few magical places
For now, I would not go ——
It takes two to carry
Both ends of a rainbow
I may get misty-eyed, if I go solo
I have saved a few places on my bucket list
To feel the magic unwrap,
To see the stars, sparks, and blush intertwine,
While I am being with you
8.
【Africa Sunrise】
It arrives softly, in shades of
Lemon, yellow, orange, red, as if
Bold mono colors would have startled
The quiet morning hunts of Cape starlings,
Impalas, zebras, wildebeests, guineafowls
The sun puts red caps on top of
The mountain range, morning breeze sends
White fog flowing in fairy skirts,
Dancing above reed filled ponds, where
Hippos poke out their heads from lily pads
Jeeps for morning safari game drives,
Dot the vast landscape like toy cars,
The only loud sound, echos In this part of the world,
As the Africa sun rises
This movie video highlighted my marathon trip in Africa last month. The Big Five Marathon is mainly fundraising for the World Red Cross organization. It is well known to be one of the most difficult marathon course in the world. It runs in a 5,300-acre private safaris reserve. The big five animals in Africa walking freely inside and there is no fence between the running course and the animals. I am not kidding. After the marathon, I visited three African countries and Victoria Falls. Most of the photos and videos were taken by me, and I also chose the soundtrack to go with it. In the video, there are moments when the matriarch of the elephant family sees us, raises her leg to greet us, and three elephants swim across the river shoulder-to-shoulder. The last photo of the video is a group photo of the brave souls who ate the Mopane Worm, including myself. Take a guess, the last shot of the video, which movie does it come from? Hope you enjoy the video and poem! ～～
9.
【The Tenderness of Pity】
“I am having the best time of my life
Right now …” She said, with a smile
“What you just said, broke my heart,”
“It broke my heart…” , he repeated
The burning wood in the fire pit
Let out a loud sound, red stars splashed out
She sank in her chair, defeated ——
Someone just uncovered her hidden wound
It was the faint tremble in his voice,
The tenderness in the tone, turned her head
Oh, the tenderness of pity, around braai and fire,
Came from a stranger in a distant continent
Through the smoke of fire, she saw herself
Weeping in his arms, without a sound,
For eight years
10.
【Bush Dance】
A male greater Kudu with tall spiral horns,
Stands in front of a femal kudu,
Whistles low pitched calls,
She doesn't pull away from the neck wrestle,
Nor from the tight limb hugs, not so subtle
Similar body moves, rhythems, breathing
In nearby Boma dinner drum show
Dressed, face painted with flowers,
They play leather drums, dance, eat barbecue
A man approaches a woman, offers her a Minty Mojito
The sun sets in shades of red, gold, purple,
The night is still young
She sees the Milky Way, the Southern Cross,
For the first time, from a new, different angle,
As her ancestors did, three million years ago
(To be continued)
