The Poetryzine Magazine presents the selected poems by the Chinese poet Cao Shui
Illustration: AI
The Temptation Of The Tower Of Babel
Light illuminates everything
From thirteen directions
All the people are confined to a high wall
You use the power of language
I once glimpsed the top of the Tower of Babel
That second of light
Happier than all love
Better than all dreams
They all say it is a hoax
But how can eyes deceive
The best world you've ever seen
You can't stop the pursuit of light
They begin to talk
With the power of sound
We must reach the top of the Tower of Babel
The Apocalypse Of Odessa
We capture time
Film and drama become redemption
Odessa! Odessa!
He mutters to himself, on the Black Sea
Prometheus lit a torch in the Caucasus
Human beings are moving forward
Writing is a last resort
We catch fire with a camera
Paul Kochakin's eyes shines
Tonia Toumanova has gone with the wind
Oscar Schindler gushes in the pub
I also talk and laugh with people with wine glasses
Andy Dufresne digs a tunnel in prison
I dig this passage for my life through the dark of night
Michael Corleone's family is the New Roman Empire
We need to run a huge circle of contacts
Little Finger Lord Baelish says chaos is a ladder of power
We need to make something out of chaos
Nucky Thompson forces Odessa's gang in the Boardwalk Empire
Odessa! Odessa!
Who cares if a little guy kills a little guy
The senator of the Senate stabbed Gaius Julius Caesar to death
Heroes in the Green Forest overthrew the sage emperor Wang Mang
The torch that Prometheus lit has been extinguished
The fire in my heart is lit
Odessa! Odessa!
Beijing in front of Chaobai River
Rome in front of Tiber River
Our armies are pouring out on the horizon
Horses tread on flowers, on grass
Facing the prosperous city
We are ready to conquer
I Will Play A Requiem For Mankind In The Wilderness Of The World
There is a piano in the endless wilderness
I will come to it with my gun on my back
I will play a requiem for you
The sound of a piano flows in the wilderness
People begin to dance wildly
They are plotting intrigues behind their backs
They are vying for fame and fortune
I will play a requiem for them
The beast will also dance
The plant will also shake
Mountains and rivers begin to shake
Clouds and rain begin to fly
Out on the vast open field
I'll play a requiem for us
My fingers flutter between the keys
The gun on my back is shaking, too
I will play until it is dark
I'll play until people fall
Until my fingers are covered with blood
Then I will stand up in tears and leave, with the gun on my back
It's Autumn, It’s Getting Cold, The King Is Writing Poetry
The eagles in God's home gather, and the eagles in God's village speak. It's autumn, it’s getting cold. The King is writing poetry. (Haizi)
The leaves are golden, the sun is golden
Yellow cloth flutters and paper turns yellow
It's autumn, it’s getting cold. The King is writing poetry
A boy in a straw hat sits on dead wood in the forest
He looks out at the distant mountains
The birds are leading the song
Sheep is a word
He picked up his pen and writes it down
When a man can't conquer the world with a knife, he chooses a pen
Mysterious language spreads in the air
The earth begins to stretch
The sky begins to rise
A crown of gold appears
Magnificent stones surround him
Become the tall Tower of Babel
You have to build it anyway
You have to build it anyway
The boy wakes up under his straw hat
He tells people that he saw the golden sky tower
It's autumn. It’s getting cold. The King is writing poetry
（Translated by George Wallace）
*Cao Shui (born in Jun 5, 1982), is a Chinese poet, novelist, screenwriter and translator. He is a representative figure of Chinese Contemporary Literature. He leads the Great Poetry Movement. His most notable works includes Epic of Eurasia, the already mentioned trilogy and King Peacock (TV series). So far 42 books of Cao Shui have been published, including 10 poem collections, 5 essay collections, 10 novels, 4 translations, 18 fairy tales and one hundred episodes TV series and films. He has won more than 50 literary awards worldwide. His works have been translated into 26 languages. He is also chief editor of Great Poetry, deputy editor in chief of World Poetry, secretary general of Boao International Poetry Festival and chairman of the Beijing Poetry Film International Poetry Festival. Currently he lives in Beijing, and works as a professional writer and screenwriter.
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