Distant Thunder 远雷 by Ma Yongbo 马永波

 
It must be afternoon, in the early autumn grass,
you lie on a slope; your hat covering your face.
The romantic novel you read is thrown aside,
half the water in your cup is still left,
an unfinished box of blueberries, has not yet softened.
Your dog slightly raises his head,
hearing faint thunder in the distance before you,
you are unaware that the green of the bushes is deepening;
you have such deep faith.
The insects are still rubbing their wings among the grass roots,
the invisible village and rural church in the distance
still quietly exist.
Thunder is more like a guarantee, that everything exists,
that wine will not sour; the cycle of seasons abides
by the eternal covenant. You stop in this afternoon;
light thunder pacing like a gentle giant in the distant sky.

Translated by Ma Yongbo 马永波 and Helen Pletts  海伦·普莱茨 22nd November 2024

Artist: Paul Nash (1889 – 1946) English
Berkshire Downs
1922
Oil on canvas

Many of Nash’s paintings, even those executed when he was an Official War Artist, have trees and landscapes as their main theme. He regarded trees as symbols of Nature’s permanence in a changing world. In this painting, Nash has enlivened the typical greens and browns of the landscape with the application of a vivid orange in the foreground. The work is also notable for the use of space and distance. In the early 1920s, Nash made several painting expeditions to Whiteleaf in Berkshire. He was often accompanied by his brother John, an accomplished landscape painter who worked in a traditional style.

远雷 Distant Thunder 马永波

时间应该是下午，初秋的草地
你躺在斜坡上，帽子盖住了脸
你读的浪漫小说被抛在一边
杯子里的水还剩下一半
一盒蓝莓还没吃完，还没有变软
你的狗微微抬起头，先于你
听到了远天隐隐的雷声
你浑然不觉，灌木的绿色在加深
你如此深怀信心
草根间的昆虫依然在摩擦翅膀
远处看不见的村庄和乡村教堂
依然安静地存在着
雷声更像是一种保证，一切都存在着
酒不会变酸，季节的轮回遵守着
永恒的约言，你就停在这个下午
远天的轻雷像温柔的巨人踱着步子

2017.8.4

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