感情幹線 Tracks of Emotion

Following the convening of Hong Kong International Poetry Nights 2013, The World of Words is a collection of selected works by some of the most internationally acclaimed poets today. The poem of "Tracks of Emotion" by Natalia Chan (Hong Kong) is finest contemporary poetry in trilingual or bilingual presentation.

洛楓，詩人、文化評論人，香港大學文學士及哲學碩士，美國加州大學聖地牙哥校區比較文學博士，香港電台廣播節目《演藝風流》客席主持；曾任教於香港中文大學、科技大學、理工大學、演藝學院、嶺南大學等，研究範圍包括文化及電影理論、中西比較文學、性別理論、演藝及流行文化。著有詩集《距離》、《錯失》、《飛天棺材》；小說集《末代童話》、《炭燒的城》，散文集《變臉幻書》；評論集《世紀末城巿：香港的流行文化》、《盛世邊緣：香港電影的性別、特技與九七政治》、《女聲喧嘩：媒介與文化閱讀》、《禁色的蝴蝶：張國榮的藝術形象》、《請勿超越黃線：香港文學的時代記認》、《情書光影：洛楓演藝評論集I》。其中詩集《飛天棺材》獲2007年第九屆香港中文文學雙年獎詩組首獎；文化評論集《禁色的蝴蝶：張國榮的藝術形象》獲「2008香港書獎」及「我最喜愛年度好書」等獎項。

Natalia S. H. Chan (penname: Lok Fung) is a poet and cultural critic. She holds a PhD in comparative literature and cultural studies from the University of California, San Diego. Her research interests include cultural and film theory, gender studies, popular culture, performance studies, cross-dressing and fashion. She is also the guest anchor of Radio Hong Kong’s Performing Arts program. Her recent publications in Chinese include Flying Coffin, which received the 9th Biennial Award for Chinese Literature (Poetry) in 2007, and Butterfly of Forbidden Colors: The Artistic Image of Leslie Cheung, which received the Hong Kong Book Prize as well as the 2008 “Best Book of the Year” award.

1.走過除夕與元旦的交界2003 Crossing over from New Year’s Eve to New Year’s Day, 2003 4

2.自我紙盒藏屍的日子 Days When I Hide My Corpse in a Cardboard Box 10

3.飛天棺材 The Flying Coffin 16

4.一舞入魂 Spirit Dance 22

5.戀戀風 SARS The Loving Wind and SARS 28

6.感情幹線 Tracks of Emotion 32

7.當城市蒼老的時候 When the City Gets Old 36

戀戀風 SARS

 

從此你我必須相隔三呎距離

從此我要戴上口罩跟你説話

從此我們不能握手只可道別

直到我的身體對你非典型的情愛

產生免疫的抗體為止

 

四月的季候風慵懶、羞澀而且兇猛

帶來城市疫症的花粉並且蔓延

你電郵決絕的病毒

打開窗戶如同打開死亡的溝渠

我無法辨認站在二十四樓的高度

當摯愛的歌手用飄落的身影

糊住生命的視線

我對你原有的思念便嘭然中斷

零碎四散的雨點擎在櫊杆上

原來

真的

很痛

 

在風和它的沙和SARS戀戀廣播的日子

小島的燈火因虚怯而浮腫和無眠

閉上眼睛我聽見

長途電話另一端你的歌聲

急促的呼吸斷續的言詞

卡在哽咽的喉鼻間便無可挽回

吿訴你家中的小貓病了

 

我們隨時會死在隱瞞的病變裏

你說時間過了限期

敏感的城市總會積壓抑鬱的基因

無可避免無一倖免

放下話筒躺在床上直到清晨六時

閉塞的天空始終無法亮起

一個呼吸順暢的早晨

想到有一天

當我對你不在提防免疫的時候

或許我們便可除下N95的障礙

點頭、微笑、再分道揚鑣

從此、

然後──

 

The Loving Wind and SARS

 

From now on we keep three feet apart

from now on I wear a surgical mask to talk with you

from now on we can’t hold hands, just say goodbye

until my body’s severe, acute love for you

produces antibodies

 

The monsoons of April are sluggish, shy, but fierce

bringing a pestilence of pollen to the city that extends

to the virus that shut down your email

to open a window is to open up a canal of death

I don’t know the height of the twenty-fourth floor

but when my beloved singer blurred life’s sight

with his down-drifting body

and the longing I felt for you ended abruptly

scattered raindrops struck the railings and as a matter of fact

it really

hurt

 

These days the wind and sand broadcast SARS

the island’s lights are weak, swollen and sleepless

I close my eyes and hear

your singing on the other end of the long distance call

words interrupted by gasps

get caught in your throat with sobs and are lost forever

I tell you my kitten is sick

 

we could die anytime from some hidden illness

you say your time is up

a depressive gene overwhelms this sensitive city

unavoidable, inescapable

I hang up and lie in bed until six in the morning

the heavy sky does n’t brighten

a morning of easy breathing

I think of a day

when I’ll no longer be on guard against infection

maybe we can take off our N95 barriers

and nod, smile, and part again

from now on,

and after—

 

(Translated by Eleanor Goodman)