Rebirth: Dedicated to Liu Xiaobo
TranslationsRebirth: Dedicated to Liu Xiaobo
A river
in the darkness
within a river without beginning and without end
as if in a river where undercurrents churn in restless darkness
yet whose surface mourns in motionless silence
your visage, missing for years, gradually becomes distinct
it seems nothing is left but a few bones
yet it seems even those rough bones can utter sounds
heard by everyone
except for the indifferent or those who pretend to be deaf—
the empty-hearted, the hypocrites, the executioners
who block their ears and refuse to listen
yet when compared with the earlier movements of your lips
your bones that would rather break than bend
utter sounds even more resounding
even more eternal
And I stand for a long time
with my hands pressed together before my heart
seeming to see you in the distance
on the surface of this far too silent river
drifting to the other shore
drifting toward death
and toward rebirth
—Woeser, Beijing, late at night, July 13, 2017
(Translated by Ian Boyden)
This poem originally appeared on Invisible Tibet on July 16, 2017.
