Catamaran—A Birthday Poem for Helen Pletts 双体船——给海伦·普莱茨的⽣ ⽇诗

A year has passed, and your birthday falls in the cold of early spring，
on this day, we meet in the darkness of the Seven Seas
two small boats light their undying lanterns for one another.
We converse across an abyss, yet almost without any distance.
Our words are lotuses blooming in the night,
drifting back and forth between us, in their hearts
sleeps a baby named Peace.
Often we need to say nothing at all,
we pause our paddles, listening to the flow of water,
listening to the call that comes from a shared source—
“To restore an ancient language, an art on the brink of extinction!”
So you raise a white sail, like a dove’s wing,
so I spread a black sail, like a swift’s wing.
Our keels endure the capricious changes above the Seven Seas.
And thus, like the shifting of day and night,
Our twin-hull boat of poetry withstands the storm and exile,
Finally arriving at that eternal shore, the homeland of rainbows.

by Ma Yongbo ⻢永波
12th February, 2025

Translated by Ma Yongbo 12th February, 2025

双体船——给海伦·普莱茨的⽣⽇诗 Catamaran—A Birthday Poem for Helen
Pletts ⻢永波

⼀年过去了，你的⽣⽇在寒冷的早春，这⼀天
我们相遇在七海之上的茫茫⿊暗之中
两条⼩船为彼此亮起了不灭的灯盏
我们隔着深渊交谈，却⼜⼏乎没有任何间隔
我们的话语是⿊夜中绽放的莲花
在我们之间来回漂移，花⼼⾥
睡着⼀个叫做和平的婴⼉
时常我们不需要说什么，我们
停下⼿中的桨，倾听⽔的流逝
倾听从⼀个共同的源头传来的召唤——
“要恢复⼀⻔古⽼的语⾔，⼀⻔接近失传的艺术！”
于是，你撑起⼀⾯⽩帆，像鸽⼦的翅膀
⽽我张开⼀⾯⿊帆，像⾬燕的翅膀
我们的⻰⻣经受住了七海之上的变幻⽆常
就这样，两个翅膀如同昼夜交替
我们诗的双体船，抗住了⻛暴与流亡
终于抵达了那永恒的边岸，彩虹的故乡

2025年2⽉12⽇晨

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when the sea is calmer than the stilled thoughts of two
—with permitted dashes—Helen’s birthday poem thank you for Yongbo

when the sea is calmer than the stilled thoughts of two,
we take up our paddles and point them towards the harbour.
The rainbows flicker like colours in black oil on the water;
a black you as a still swift’s call, calling to white me as a wavy dove’s sail,
and the sail is also a curved white ear that hears you calling.
And breeze carries the song gently in her cupped hands
around our softness and feathers — smoothing the sea for the little boat;
rainbow colours racing their iridescence towards land before us

12th February 2025, very late at night
By Helen Pletts 海伦·普莱茨

Translated by Ma Yongbo

当海洋⽐两⼈静⽌的思绪更为平静时 ⻢永波 译
——允许使⽤破折号——海伦的⽣⽇诗，向永波致谢

当海洋⽐两⼈平静的思绪更为平静时，
我们拿起⾃⼰的浆，把它们指向港⼝。
彩虹像⿊油中的⾊彩在⽔⾯上闪烁；
⼀⽚⿊⾊如⾬燕，呼唤⽩⾊的我，如波动的鸽帆，
那帆也是⼀只弯弯的⽩⾊⽿朵，聆听着你的呼唤。
微⻛轻轻地将歌声捧在她的双⼿中
围绕着我们的柔软和⽻翼——为⼩船抚平海洋；
彩虹以绚烂的⾊彩竞相奔向我

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