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Each crow you have seen

has a quasi-white soul

that used to dwell in the body

of one of your closest ancestors

 

He comes down all the way just to tell you

his little secret, the way he has flown out

of darkness, the fact both his body and heart

are filled with shadows, the truth about

being a dissident, that unwanted color

 

Hidden in your own heart is there also a crow

much blacker than his spirits

but less so than his feathers

 

我的乌鸦

 

你瞥见的每只乌鸦

都有颗半白的灵魂

它以前的栖身处是

你最直系的一位祖先

 

它不远万里飞来,只是要告诉你

它的一个小小秘密,它如何飞出

黑暗,它的心身如何充满阴影,以及

它作为叛逆者不受欢迎的肤色

 

在你自己的心中也有一只乌鸦

比它的精神更黑

但比其羽毛更淡

 

[见刊于《字花》2015年夏季期]



Yuan Changming published monographs on translation before leaving China. With a Canadian PhD in English, Yuan currently edits Poetry Pacific with Allen Yuan in Vancouver. Credits include ten Pushcart nominations, eight chapbooks & publications in Best of the Best Canadian Poetry (2008-17) Best New Poems Online, among 1,639 others across 44 countries.