Song of the Clock

Song of the Clock
(Shortlisted for The Flushing Poetry Festive in the U.S. in 2019)

By Jing Yu
Translated by Frank Zhao

You and I used to resemble 
A clock’s second hand
Gear biting gear
With skipping strides
Breathlessly 
Running after the minute hand

We also used to resemble
A clock’s minute hand
Excited to go so fast
But so fatigued by its burden
It left its soul behind

In the end 
We will be like the hour hand
Sharing a place
On a natal chart
Watching everyone race against time
As it charges toward them 

But
In the hands of destiny 
Mechanically 
It comes to a stop
Except for the tick tock sound
I forget what else
We’ll be able to revisit 

時鍾之歌

文/靜語

你我
曾像秒針
齒輪咬合著齒輪
三步並作兩步
喘息地
向著分針狂奔

我們
也曾像分針
在高速中亢奮
也在負荷的疲憊裏
甩下了靈魂

最後
我們會像時針
在同一個
人生命盤裏
看大家爭分奪秒地
衝向你

卻在
命運之手中
機械地
停擺
除了嘀嗒聲
忘了還有什麽
可以重溫