S H A N G Q I N
__________________________________________________________TWO POEMS
translated by Steve Bradbury
The Cat That Walks Through Walls
Ever since she left me some cat's been coming in and out of my apartment as if it owns the place—locked doors, grated windows, even walls can't seem to stop it.
When she was still with me the very sparrows outside the iron gate were green with envy, for she catered to my each and every need. On evenings when the power failed she would even bring me the new moon with the old moon in its arms (she did not believe that writing poetry required much light), and on hot summer nights would stand beside my bed exuding her cool airs.
My mistake came in broaching the subject of human happiness. In contrast to my usual loss for words, I blurted, “Happiness is the half that people never get.” The next morning she left without saying a word.
She was not the kind of woman to leave a message scrawled in lipstick on her vanity mirror. She didn't even use a pen. Instead, with her long, sharp fingernails she scratched these words deep into the wallpaper: “From this day forth, I shall be your happiness, as you shall be mine.”
Although I can't keep this cat from invading my apartment, I haven't actually seen it yet, for it never comes until the wee hours of the night, and always leaves before first light.
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Translator’s note:
Shang Qin was married for a time to the poet Luo Ying (1940- ). Two daughters resulted from the marriage.
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