THE ANSWER

Contemptibility is the passport of the contemptible,

Nobleness an epitaph for the noble.

Look-the gilded sky teems

With the twisted reflections of the dead.

The ice age has passed,

Why is there still ice everywhere?

The Cape of Good Hope has been discovered,

Why is the Dead Sea thick with competing sails?

I come into this world

With only paper, rope and a shadow,

To proclaim the pleas of the judged,

Before the trial has ever begun.

I say to you, world,

I—do—not—believe!

If a thousand challengers lie beneath your feet,

Then count me number one thousand and one.

I do not believe that the sky is blue,

I do not believe in the echo of thunder,

I do not believe that dreams are false,

I do not believe that death has no revenge.

If the ocean is destined to breach its dikes,

Let all the bitter waters pour into my heart;

If the land is destined to rise above,

Let mankind choose a new summit for its survival.

The new turning point and the sparkling stars

Are filling in a vast sky with nothing to hide.

It is the pictogram of five thousand years,

It is the gaze of the future generations.

(1976) (Tr. by Sawako Nakayasu & Hai An) 

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Bei Dao (1949- ), born in Beijing, now lives in Hong Kong. He co-founded the poetry journal Today with Mang Ke in 1978 and published books of poetry including Collected Poems by Bei Dao, At the Sky’s Edge, Midnight Singer, Landscape over Zero, etc.

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