David Perry

 

 Translation by Hai An ( 海岸译 ) | “The Ape” was originally published in Sal Mimeo | 类人猿 originally published in 上海诗人 (2008)

 

THE APE

1) 

It’s like this
but only for a second, rough
equivalence between said
and unsaid

She woke up with bits
of fuzz in her bangs

Now to walk is just enough

Flat screens, steam tables, particle board,
industrial glue, hexagonal pavers (rust
bone and celadon), pork belly futures,
feline leukemia

The art we hope to post as notes.  Plaster
words in the mouth of the moment. 

Why not jump in the ocean?  The answer

buzz fangs

 

2) 

Everybody acts like A. fell out of the sky, walked
on water a while, fell back in, picked a wet smoke
from his shirt pocket, pulled out a dripping
Bic, flicked and lit, inhaled, exhaled a stream
of gold, violet, crimson and lemon petals
that settled on the sand under the waves, raising
new land, umber and sienna and ocher (a scene on silk).

And a character who comes and goes at will—
opens the book, closes it
and we appear, disappear

I say look, the ape is weak
virtually non-existent; it does not
exist independently of us, besides

 

3)

A journey of reclamation peaches 

A whole note interpolated in a five-measure rest

The danger over

Always a hint of sewage

Green hatchery shirt, surplus binoculars

Burred purple and red lint

Hold hands and drop! 

 

4) 

Thicker points than thought
a whole new island of the lost
to be found without 

Dangle of furs and pelts
roots uprooted and bodies
slung from guywire

 

5)

Night: tightrope, the peer
ball, an oily pool with green
interlinear highlighter notes scrawled

lines opening like an off
zipper with threads in its teeth

 

类人猿

1

这有点像
但仅为片刻,大体
类似于说与没说
之间

她醒来,额头
留有些许绒毛

此刻走动恰到好处

平板视屏,热腾腾的餐桌,
细粒子木板,化学胶水,
六边形路基(泛起青锈色)
猪肚期货,猫科白血病

我们希望将诗艺贴成某种注解
嘴里一时塞满言辞

为何不跳入大海?答案

呲牙作响

 

2

每个人都像猿一样,从天空落下
片刻漫步水面,跌回水里,从衬衫口袋
抽出一根湿香烟,掏出水滴滴的打火机,
打火、点烟,吸入、吐出一串串
金黄.浅紫.深红,柠檬色的花瓣
栖息在波涛下的沙地.掀起一方靳土
棕红、赭黄(一方丝绸的场景)

某一人物来回走动,随心所欲一一
翻开书,又合上书
我们上场,又下场

我说着看着,虚弱的猿
根本不存在,非独立存在于
我们之外,除了

 

3

一次收获桃子的旅程 

一张完整的纸币换取五度的安宁

危险已结束

总是暗示污水

绿色的孵卵衬衫,剩余的双筒望远镜 

紫红色的粗布

手牵手落下!

 

4

比思想更厚重的要点
一座遗落的新岛屿
被发现,并不 

摇曳的毛皮
连根拔起,身体
被抛离绳索

 

5

夜晚:拉紧的绳索,
对等的球,绿油油的水池
字里行间涂满精彩的笔记 

开放的行距犹如分离的
拉链,链齿塞满线头