齐洛哈的一首诗：看清本质

武夷山 译

   Kealoha（齐洛哈）出生于夏威夷，是夏威夷人、中国人和高加索人的混血后代。1999年，他毕业于麻省理工学院核工程专业，后来成为一名诗人。他是获得“夏威夷桂冠诗人”称号的第一人，也是第一个在夏威夷州长就职典礼上朗诵自己诗作的诗人。下面是他2009年创作的一首诗。他的诗歌就是让人朗诵的，不是供人阅读的。

看清本质

齐洛哈

今晚，我要你们思考一下人生

我要你们思考，你们代表着什么，要认识到你们遭受的任何苦难从长程来说不值一提

因为对应你们人生的每一年，宇宙还要再运行几万亿年

对应你们结交的每一个朋友，还会有几十亿人有待出生

你们永远不会遇见他们

在万物的宏大计划里面，我们毫无地位

但与此同时，我们就是一切

我们是X染色体和Y染色体

我们是G、C、A、T核苷酸

我们是复杂的碳水化合物、简单的蛋白质、软组织和硬连接的神经元

我们是神经系统中相互联系的强键

地球表面的65%覆盖着盐水

我们则是由占比65%的盐水构成的移动水袋

不过在模仿着人类进化所发生的那个环境

我们死后，我们认为属于自己的肉体将会分解，回归大海家园……

挥发为水蒸气

而这些骨骼……

这些骨骼将被最高大的树木之根所分解

这个地球，在太空里冲撞前行，将结冰、沸腾，一如它亿万年来围绕太阳运行时所经历过的

再过50亿年太阳将变为红巨星，将我们所知的一切生命烤为灰烬

太阳转入呜咽之前的最后一场爆炸，无人记得

或许外星人通过望远镜看到太阳的爆炸会记载下来

对于他们太阳只是来过又走了的一个数据点

这些外星人，不管他们是谁或不是谁

我要他们思考他们的人生

我要你思考你的人生，当你通过简易的望远镜观察我的时候

我要所有人，外星人、你和我，都认识到，即使我们心碎了

或是工作糟糕透顶，或房租该交了，或某人在某处说你坏话了

即使面对杀人、种族灭绝和自杀

面对种族主义、性别歧视、阶级歧视和什么很坏的主义

不管生活对于你或对其他人有多么艰难

要看清本质

看清本质，认识到世上所有的恶都是转瞬即逝的……

真见鬼,世上所有的善也是转瞬即逝的……

你、我、我们所有人……都是转瞬即逝的……

在万物的宏大计划里，你不是你，那么你遭受的苦痛就不值一提

那么你的狂喜，作为宇宙的一部分，才是唯一值得记住的东西

宇宙在一个称为大爆炸的巨大高潮中表达自己

我们不过是高潮之后的叹息

你就是宇宙，在不断认识自己

你就是宇宙，问自己为什么会在这里

你很快就会成为不再认识、不再提问的宇宙

你就是一切，你什么都不是

不管多难承认，不管我们多害怕

不管我们多想无视事实，事实是……事实是我们将会死去

也许不是今夜，也许是明天、明年

但或迟或早我们都会死去

但是，事实难以接受

于是我们竭尽所能避免那个大图景

因为大图景使人手足无措

于是我们将目光专注于人生的日常戏剧……

但今晚不要这样

今晚我要你们在这里思考人生

不是说这里，无论你此时此刻恰巧在哪个县、哪个州、哪个国家

而是说这里……这个世界……这个行星地球

这里……这个星系……这个宇宙

我们不再是穴居野人

阴影处并没有潜伏着剑齿虎

但我们多数人攫住恐惧，如同我们进化成人类之前的动物

我们到底怕什么？

多年来我们一直在同一些可预知的地点蚀刻着同样的图案

我们为什么要按照他们教导我们的方式生活？

而且，他们算老几啊？

该是我们开始做真心想做的事的时候了，因为，按照心愿做事，才是我们真正拥有的东西

我要你们想想你们希望自己能做的所有事情

今晚，我要你们做其中一件事

明天，再做一件事

我们的生活是非永久性的艺术品……

我们是进展中的作品……

所以我说，彩绘一下你的臀部

在没有任何颜色的地方涂上荧光黄和荧光红

跳一会儿舞

用泥土塑出你的人生，让宇宙微笑

成为表达过程，表达就是人生

今晚，我要你们思考人生

明天，我要你们好好生活

原诗如下：

Zoom Out

tonight. . . i want you to think about your life

i want you to think about what you stand for and realize that all the sufferingyou’ve ever experienced means nothing in the long term
for every year you live, the universe will be around for trillions
and for every friend you’ve made, there are billions yet to be born that youwill never meet
in the grand scheme of things, we are nobody
and yet at the same time, we are everything
we are X and Y chromosomes
we are G, C, A, and T genomes
we are complex carbohydrates, simple proteins, soft tissue, hard-wired neurons. . .
we are strong bonds linked in nervous systems
and while this earth’s surface is covered with 65% saltwater,
we arewalking bags made of 65% salt water
merely mimicking the environment that we evolved from

and when we are done, this flesh we callour own returns home to the sea when we dissipate . . .
evaporate into water vapor
and these bones . . .
these bones will be broken down by the roots of the tallest trees
while this earth, hurling through space, will freeze and boil as it has foreons as it orbits the sun
which in five billion years will transform into a red giant and scorch all lifeas we know it,
its last blast before it fizzles into a whimper remembered by nobody,
or maybe charted by aliens as they peer through telescopes
logging our sun as a piece of data that came and went
and these aliens, whoever they may or may not be
i want them to think about their lives
i want you to think about your life as you study me through your primitivetelescopes
and i want everybody, the aliens, you, and me, to realize that even when ourhearts break,
or when work sucks or when rent’s due or when someone somewhere says somethingstupid about you
even in the face of homicide, genocide, and suicide
in the face of racism, sexism, classism, and insert-really-bad-word-here–ism
no matter how hard life may get for you or for other people,

zoom out

zoomout and realize that all the evil in this world is transient . . .
heck all the good in this world is transient . . .
you, me, all of us . . . are transient . . .
you will not be you in the grand scheme of things, which makes all yoursuffering trivial
which makes your ecstasy the only thing worth remembering as part of theuniverse
expressing itself in one giant orgasm known as the big bang
we are its aftermath sigh
its alibi for not having a reason
you are the universe learning about itself
you are the universe asking itself why it’s here
you will soon be the universe not learningor asking anything
you are everything and nothing at the same time
and no matter how hard it is to admit, no matter how afraid we get and how muchwe want to deny the truth, the truth is . . . well the truth is we’re gonna die
maybe not tonight, tomorrow, or next year
but sooner or later we’re all gonna die

but the truth is hard to swallow,
and so we do everything we can to avoid the big picture because the big pictureis paralyzing . . .
and so we focus our eyes on the day to day dramas of our lives . . .

but not tonight
tonight i want you to think about your life right here
not here, whatever county/state/country you happen to be in right now
but here . . . this world . . . planet Earth
here . . . this galaxy . . . this universe
we are not cavemen anymore
there are no saber tooth tigers lurking in the shadows
yet most of us cling to our fears like the animals we evolved from
what are we so afraid of?
we’ve been etching the same patterns in the same predictable places for years
why do we live the way that they tell us to?
and who the heck are they, anyway?
it’s about time we start doing what’s in our hearts because that’s all we’vereally got
i want you to think about all the things you wish you could do
and tonight, i want you to do one of them
and tomorrow, another
our lives are temporary art pieces . . .
we are works in progress . . .
so i say paint your butt off . . .
use florescent yellows and reds in the places where there aren’t any color
dance for the moment
sculpt your life out of soil and make the universe smile
be the expressive process that is humanity

tonight, i want you to think about yourlife
and tomorrow, i want you to live it