An Ideal Swan

By Zhang Weidong

A ridesharing car came from the roadside in the evening,
stoped at the wayside where the mobility tricycle was parked,
At that time, spider silk just slipped from leaves.

Then there's the evening meal -  cold noodles with bean sprouts.
I remember the electric pole slanting towards
plane trees, ten meters from the riverbank with locusts.

Forty years or earlier, I was on this shore, watching fish
and fiddling with a wooden stick on water,
seeing some girl, her reflection in the water as she passing by

was like the best-looking hibiscus flower. That second,
the sun was shining,  shining on me,
and on the riverside with toads.

English tr. by Chen Zihong

In Chinese common saying, 癞蛤蟆想吃天鹅肉 means a toad wishing to eat swan meat -- to crave for what one is not worthy of; An ugly man hopes to marry a pretty girl. -Tr.

理想的天鹅

张卫东

顺风车从傍晚的路边开了过来，
刹在火三轮斜靠的街沿，
刚好，有根蛛丝滑下了叶片。

然后，是晚饭——豆芽拌凉面。
我记得这倾向梧桐的
电杆，距离槐树的河岸十米远。

四十多年前，我曾在它边上，
用一截木棍玩水，观鱼，
看见一个女孩儿，路过的倒影

像芙蓉开得最好那朵。那一刻，
阳光很好，照耀着我，
也照耀着蛤蟆出没的岸边。

张卫东: 诗人，生于1959年10月。现居成都。