086首：那是爷爷的笼子
Statue 86：That’s Grandpa’s Birdcage
——-与周瑟瑟磕卡丘主义
——A Chitchat With Zhou Sese On Culturism
那是爷爷的笼子
That’s Grandpa’s birdcage.
或手提或挂在那辆
he either carried it in his hand or hung it over
很破很旧的自行车后面
at the rear of that shabby bike.
进门或出门
Whenever he went out or came back，
上面总要蒙着一块
he would always veil the birdcage
油腻腻的老黑布
with a soiled and greasy piece of dark cloth.
这叫一品八哥笼？爷爷说
“This is called first rank mynah cage”，Grandpa told me：
有时日了
“it is kept for some time
品相好？托也好
with a nice appearance and a good tray.”
爷爷说？你看这托
Grandpa said：“look at the tray，
紫檀的？硬朗？气派
made of rosewood，durable and decent.
你再看看这门楣真正的黄花梨
Then take a look at the door head，made of genuine palisander
朱雀三尺有神灵？黄花梨门楣
it is said that the gods are watching above your head
敞亮？爷爷说这话时
the palisander door head looks bright and spacious.”
眼睛里总是放光的
When Grandpa mentioned this，his eyes were always beaming.
那份暇意？那份得意
His delight and pride
水一样连绵不断
are incessant like the running water.
再看看这笼里的水盅儿
“Then look at the small water cup in the cage，
粉彩小鼓肚
it is famille rose with a bulging belly，
比你韩三爷那青花小蛮腰景气多了
far better than the blue-and-white small-waist cup your neighborhood grandpa owns.
他们说是晚清货色
They said my water cup was produced in late Qing Dynasty，
我怎么琢磨也明末
but I consider it was produced in the late Ming Dynasty.
老东西？明白吗
An antique，you know？”
爷爷说到这里
As Grandpa stopped here，
眼睛里又会流出一丝神圣和神往
a gleam of holiness and longing flew from his eyes
一种说不出的神圣和神往
that was an inarticulate holiness and longing.
岁月的影子一直在他的眼睛里转悠
The shadow of time and tide，the fading ages，
远去的岁月？金戈铁马还是瓜洲暗渡
moved from side to side in his eyes.
总之那东西象诗
In brief，the stuff in his eyes was like poetry
象一缸没有启封的陈年高梁酒
or a jar of old white spirit that has been kept under seal.
知道这竹筋吗？爷爷啰嗦起来
“Do you know the bamboo reinforcement”，Grandpa
这竹筋柔？且韧
began to belabor：“it is soft and tough，
皆桐油浸过的？after being soaked in Chinese wood oil.
不是江浙一带的白毛竹
The bamboo isn’t the white moso bamboo from Jiangsu and Zhejiang Provinces
是湖北神农架的雪毛竹
but the snow moso bamboo from Hubei Province.”
爷爷很得意？滋的一下
said Grandpa while he was sipping tea well at ease，
抿一口浓浓的苦丁茶
tasting the heavy bitter leaves tea in his mouth.
神农氏当年留下的种
the legendary Divine Farmer left the seeds of the bamboo
耐寒？耐磨？耐日月
that resists cold，wear and age.
玩儿家又叫千年修
Those who are fond of it call it “millenary cultivation”.
得瑟？忽悠你那几个破鸟友去吧
“What a show-off！Just go fool your
什么千年修？一旁打磕睡的奶奶
bird-fancier friends！Millenary cultivation？Nonsense！”
忍不住在梦中接过爷爷的话茬
Grandma dozing nearby cannot help taking over Grandpa’s conversation in her dream
那笼子是老东西
“this cage is an antique my maid took from my parents’family
不算嫁妆？也是我嫁过来时
when I got married to your grandpa，but this
丫环从娘家带过来的小来西
small thing wasn’t included in my marriage portion.
那是你爷爷的笼子
since your grandpa said that’s his birdcage，
去？问问你爷爷？我嫁到周家75年了
go and ask him how many birds he has
他每年喂活多少鸟
fed every year during the 75years I have stayed in his family -
还千年修？我知道天也知道
he just invented the thing about “millenary cultivation”！
就那块蒙鸟笼的黑布还是原配
Only God and I know that only the dark cloth upon the cage is original.
2008-8-11车牛山岛
composed on the Che NiuShan Island on August 11，2008
（Translated by Liu Xiaofeng &；Hu Zongfeng）
087首：牵蜀犬观天象的人
Statue 87：The One Who Observes Astronomical Phenomena with a Local Hound
——致四川诗人杨黎先生
——To Mr Yang Li，A Poet in Si Chuan Province
牵蜀犬观天象的人
The one who observes astronomical phenomena with a local hound，
站在山顶？观
stands on the summit of a mountain and watches
从新西伯利亚经阿尔泰山
a solar eclipse coming to Yi Wu Xiangjiang from Siberia
进入我国新疆伊吾的
A scene like the Heaven Hound is swallowing
天狗食日的悲壮
the sun solemnly.
别人？都配带着精密的
The others are all equipped with delicate
天文望远镜？他
astronomical telescopes，while he
牵着蜀犬？站在
is leading a local hound and standing on
高高的山岗上
a lofty hummock.
观天象的人？光头
The one who observes astronomical phenomena，is a bareheaded
粗犷？胯下一只蜀犬
boorish guy with a local hound between his legs
席地而坐？？那造型
sitting on the ground.That model，
那架势？两个字
that pose，could only be summed up with two words：
酷毙
“so cool”.
初亏（太阳和月亮初次相接）
“it is the First Contact （the beginning of a partial eclipse）”
观天象的人对身边的蜀犬说
he who observes astronomical phenomena said to the
这就是初亏？天狗已经张开口了
hound beside him.This is called the First Contact
准备吞食那枚蛋黄状的太阳
when the Heaven Hound is to devour the egg yolk sun.
你是蜀犬？地道的巴蜀名犬
You are a local hound，a famous simon-pure hound.
其实你的名气远比那些泊来的
Actually your reputation is far greater than those
拉布拉多猎犬？腊肠犬？拳师犬要？
imported dogs，such as the Labrador retriever，
大得多得多？现在准备食日的
Dachshund，and boxing coach dog.The Heaven
天狗？千年前就是你的表哥？
Hound that is devouring the sun is your cousin
你们最早在山海经里
thousands years ago.Early in the Classic of Mountains and Seas
就已经成名？后来屈原一句
you both have already become famous.Later
邑犬群吠？把你的名气弄反了
the great poet Qu Yuan mistook your name in his
屈原并不知道？？你表哥是因为失恋
verses，as he didn’t know your cousin flew
才奔向天空？？变成月亮的
skywards and became the moon after it was lovelorn.
夫子也不知道？你们邑犬群吠
However，not even Confucius knew that you
并不是少见多怪而是为你表哥
hounds bark together not out of your own ignorance，
变月追日壮行的
but to bid farewell to your cousin who pursues the sun and becomes the moon.
食既（全食始）观天象的人
“Second Contact （the beginning of the total eclipse）”
对身边的蜀犬说现在
the observer said to the local hound beside：“now，
天狗已经开始？？吞食太阳
the Heaven Hound has begun to swallow the sun.”
看清了？观天象的人说
“Watch it closely，”the stargazer said：
张嘴？对？把你的上颌骨抬起
“that’s right，open your mouth，raise the upper jaw
下颌骨下压？吞？
bone high，push the lower jaw bone，and swallow，”
观天象的人？？自言自语的说
the stargazer murmured to himself.
蜀犬张嘴？摹仿？？
The local hound beside him opened its mouth and imitated exactly what
观天象的人说？大限的天狗食日
the stargazer said.“The ultimate solar
要300年一次？有幸观食日者
eclipse would take place every 300years，so those
不妄来世伦回一遭
who have the honor to witness it are worthily living their lives.”
说罢天空骤暗劲风吹
As he finished，the sky grew gloomy abruptly，and a strong
本来炎热的下午却像昏暗的黎明
wind blew，so the hot afternoon became a somber
丝丝凉意直抵蜀犬尾骨
dawn，traces of coolness reached directly to the hound’s
太阳被天狗吞进口中一刹
tailbone.In a split second when the sun was swallowed
飞鸟回巢？万籁俱寂
by the Heaven Hound，all the birds returned to their nests and everywhere was quiet.
这就是食甚（日全食）
