English Centre
The Poem
June
Shi Tao
My whole life
Will never get past June
June, when my heart died
When my poetry died
When my lover
Died in romance's pool of blood
June, the scorching sun burns open my skin
Revealing the true nature of my wound
June, the swim swims out of the blood-red sea
Toward another place to hibernate
June, the earth shifts, the rivers fall silent
Piled up letters unable to be delivered to the dead
Listen to the poem
Recited by Juliet Stevenson.
Juliet Stevenson CBE is an award-winning English actress of stage and screen, best known internationally for her film roles in Truly, Madly, Deeply (1991), Emma (1996) and Bend it Like Beckham (2002). Most recently, she played Blake Morrison's mother in And When Did You Last See Your Father? (2002). She is also a committed supporter of human rights advocates.
Translated to English from Chinese by Chip Rolley, Sydney PEN.
Mehefin
Shi Tao
Ni wna
‘ mywyd oroesi Mehefin;
Mehefin, pan dawodd fy nghalon,
pan dawodd fy nghanu,
pan dawodd fy nghariad
mewn rhamant pwll o waed.
Mehefin, yr haul crasboeth sy’n llosgi ‘nghroen,
gan ddangos cignoethni fy nghlwyf,
Mehefin, a llama’r pysgod
o wawr goch y môr,
i fwrw’r gaeaf mewn man arall.
Mehefin, y cread sy’n crynu,
afonydd yn distewi,
pentwr o lythyrau heb eu casglu gan
Y meirw.
Translated to Welsh from English by Menna Elfyn. Menna Elfyn is a poet and playwright who lives in Llandysul and writes with passion of the Welsh language and identity. She describes herself as a Christian anarchist and has published seven volumes of Welsh-language poetry. She is currently editing a major anthology of Welsh poetry in translation. See: www.mennaelfyn.co.uk
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