Yi Lu: Goats on a Desert Island

on a desert island
some unattended goats
eat wild grass            drink sky water
sleep in stone caves at night

when I learn about it
autumn sun outside feels so warm
but it feels chilly inside            I wonder
if those goats are now in the autumn sun
autumn sun nurtures them like plants

those goats’ happiness             must be
happiness beyond depiction
their peace             must be
peace beyond description
their innocence             must also be
innocence beyond expression

and I imagine –
how they are blown by wind like swirling chrysanthemums
how they run to the sea and retreat in fear
how they stare at white waves that toss and turn

Tr. Fiona Sze-Lorrain. Yi Lu (b. 1956) is a retired theatre designer – blurbs described her as “China’s preeminent national scenographer and stage designer”. The poem’s impact is immediate, like a striking theatre set. The translation feels as unmediating as possible: like English pared down to ideograms.