I Sit Here

I sit here
watching the sky go
from light to dark,
listening to the last of the sun
groan, waiting for the first drop to
knock on the open window.

One word waiting for another—
they will never meet.
A drop of rain
makes the sky and earth one piece.
In stilled time,
the soul of rain
quietly comes down.

Translated from the Chinese by Ming Di and Jennifer Kronovet

我坐在這裡

我坐在這裡
看天色由明到暗
傾聽最後一縷陽光
發出呻吟
等待第一滴淚
敲響敞開的窗戶玻璃

一個詞等待另一個詞
永不相遇
一滴雨
使天地渾然一體
在靜止的時間裡
雨的靈魂
悄悄地降臨

“I Sit Here” by Liu Xia from Empty Chairs translated from the Chinese by Ming Di and Jennifer Kronovet. Poems copyright © Liu Xia 2015 and translation copyright © 2015 by Ming Di and Jennifer Kronovet. Reprinted by permission of The Permission Company LLC, on behalf Graywolf Press, graywolfpress.org.