from Spring Songs (3)
3.
Spring’s caravan keeps coming, without effort
like a casual daydream of autumn
lightened by pollen colored lenses
settles everywhere until you cannot remove
your spring eyes and realize the daydream
was winter. The mountain takes
on color like it’s coming down with something.
Translations from the English 
This is really good. More.
Thanks MRH. More coming…
Free associating in Chinese:
春似一行無阻的列車
沒聲色地讓秋色
蒙上眼膜
不知不覺
春的遐想已轉冬
山景泛紅
似發熱了
Thanks Mary! Wish we could figure out how to get your audio up so people can hear this, too.
I should edit the ‘translations’ before recording them; I tend to write quickly then bad at revision. I can only manage to record with ‘voice memo’ on my phone so far. I will make audio files once I’ve taken another look at them.
Done! Cantonese reading now on reblog!
Reblogged this on Life is But This and commented:
This poem by Jeff Schwaner is difficult to translate into Chinese but that didn’t stop me from free associating after reading this work (in ‘comments’).
I have sent you an updated translation and the audio file of my reading:
春似一行
無阻的列車
沒聲色地
讓秋色
蒙上眼膜
不知不覺
春的遐想
竟已轉冬
山景泛紅
似發熱了
(c) Mary Tang 2015
The last line made me chuckle out loud. For so few words, there’s so much colour and pacing going on here! it’s playful and has a real thumpety thump rhythm that the reader can almost hear. Good stuff, Jeff.
Thank you–glad to see you here.
Very possibly one of my fav here – and that’s saying a lot bc I enjoy your work, JS. I am particularly keen on the first and last stanzas. Excellent use of metaphor.
Thanks HW, and it’s great to hear from you and see you over here.
I like to swing by when I can for a nice brimming cup of good poetry. =)
Love it, but I’m a bit worried that the mountain may sneeze. 🙂
That could be problematic.