A Half and Half Poem

《半截的诗》 你是我的 半截的诗 半截用心爱着 半截用肉体埋着 你是我的 半截的诗 不许别人更改一个字 Half poem You are my half poem you half love with heart you half hide with flesh you are my half poem let no one dare to change even a word Mezza poesia Sei mia mezza poesia ami metà col cuore nascondi metà col corpo sei mia mezza poesia che nessuno cambi una parola 海子 (Hǎi Zǐ) English translation by I, Robot Italian translation by Francesco De Luca

朱新建 (Zhū Xīnjiàn), 《美人图》 (Portrait of a Beauty), 2004. Courtesy of Roseberys.

Room for rent

出租屋 十平米左右的空间 局促，潮湿，终年不见天日 我在这里吃饭，睡觉，拉屎，思考 咳嗽，偏头痛，生老，病不死 昏黄的灯光下我一再发呆，傻笑 来回踱步，低声唱歌，阅读，写诗 每当我打开窗户或者柴门 我都像一位死者 把棺材盖，缓缓推开 许立志 (Xǔ Lìzhì), 2013年12月2日 Rented Room A space of ten square meters Cramped and damp, no sunlight all year Here I eat, sleep, shit, and think Cough, get headaches, grow old, get sick but still fail to die Under the dull yellow light again I stare blankly, chuckling like an idiot I pace back and forth, singing softly, reading, writing poems Every time I open the window or the wicker gate I seem like a dead man Slowly pushing open the lid of a coffin 许立志 (Xǔ Lìzhì), December 2, 2013

[English translation by 闹 (Nào)]

许立志 (Xǔ Lìzhì), born on July 28, 1990 in 揭阳 (Jiēyáng), was a day & night factory worker and a part time poet. He worked for Foxconn and attracted media attention after his suicide on September 30, 2014, in 深圳 (Shēnzhèn), China. After his death, his friends published his anthology of poetry. Photo: TouTiao.com.

The Worker Poet

冲突 他们都说 我是个话很少的孩子 对此我并不否认 实际上 我说与不说 都会跟这个社会 发生冲突 许立志, 2013年6月7日 Conflict They all say I’m a child of few words This I don’t deny But actually Whether I speak or not With this society I’ll still Conflict 许立志 (Xǔ Lìzhì), 7 June 2013

English translation by 闹 (Nào)

The poetry of 许立志 (Xǔ Lìzhì), born on July 28, 1990 in 揭阳 (Jiēyáng), the Foxconn worker who killed himself on 30 September 2014, at the age of 24, in 深圳 (Shēnzhèn), China. Photo: people.inewsweek.cn.

We are just passing through

我咽下一枚铁做的月亮...... 我咽下一枚铁做的月亮 他们管它叫做螺丝 我咽下这工业的废水，失业的订单 那些低于机台的青春早早夭亡 我咽下奔波，咽下流离失所 咽下人行天桥，咽下长满水锈的生活 我再咽不下了 所有我曾经咽下的现在都从喉咙汹涌而出 在祖国的领土上铺成一首 耻辱的诗 许立志, 2013年12月19日 I swallowed a moon made of iron I swallowed a moon made of iron They refer to it as a nail I swallowed this industrial sewage, these unemployment documents Youth stooped at machines die before their time I swallowed the hustle and the destitution Swallowed pedestrian bridges, life covered in rust I can’t swallow any more All that I’ve swallowed is now gushing out of my throat Unfurling on the land of my ancestors Into a disgraceful poem 许立志 (Xǔ Lìzhì), December 19, 2013

English translation by 闹 (Nào)

许立志 (Xǔ Lìzhì) (1990 – 2014)