◉ Translator’s Foreword
◉ Five Poems
◉ Short Tongue @ Sea Breeze Books

MODERN BOOK OF REVELATION: SMARTPHONE

by Wang Mun Kiat, translated from the Chinese into English by Daryl Lim Wei Jie

Looking down:
the most talkative
mutes

Looking up:
the loneliest
chatterboxes

.

现代启示录：智能手机

黄文杰

低头
最多话的
哑巴

抬头
最孤寂的
喧哗

REAL?

by Wang Mun Kiat, translated from the Chinese into English by Daryl Lim Wei Jie

At the start it was a child
A sheet of blank paper
Not a single word

Write:
Degree, love, marriage, promotion, stocks,
name card, credit card, sports car,
apartment, lovers, champagne, divorce,
firing, retrenchment, living alone

At the end of the page
an old man

.

真？

黄文杰

本来是个孩子
白色的纸
没有一个字

写
文凭、爱情、婚姻、升职、股票、名
片、信用卡、跑车、洋楼、情人、香
槟、离婚、裁员、失业、独居

页尾的老人

COUNT ME OUT

by Wang Mun Kiat, translated from the Chinese into English by Daryl Lim Wei Jie

The kind of demeanour that thrives on
whoops and cheers—count me out
The kind of solemn and dignified distance
that ever increases—count me out
The kind of resounding self-confidence
that shakes the heavens—count me out
The kind of chest-out arrogance that takes
wide, confident strides—count me out
The kind of exultation that glitters, dazzles
and blooms—count me out

Count me out, got no time
too busy looking for other absent names
in these black and white photographs

.

缺席了

黄文杰

声声喝彩欢呼莅临的风采，我缺席了
徐徐上升庄严肃穆的高度，我缺席了
隆隆二十四响轰天的自信，我缺席了
行行挺胸阔步敬礼的骄傲，我缺席了
阵阵灿烂炫目花开的狂喜，我缺席了

缺席了，没空
忙着找寻黑白照片里
其他缺席的名字

HOW TO COOK
ON COOLING OFF DAY

by Wang Mun Kiat, translated from the Chinese into English by Daryl Lim Wei Jie

Put your brain into the pot
add a copy of Zaobao—especially the
editorials
stew for 24 hours
until gratitude has enveloped fear

alright, that’s cool enough

.

冷静日的烹调方式

黄文杰

脑浆放进锅
加一份早报要社论那页
熬二十四小时
直至感恩包裹恐惧
好了，够冷

TRADITION

by Wang Mun Kiat, translated from the Chinese into English by Daryl Lim Wei Jie

A sixty five thousand four hundred and
thirty dollars advertisement
and a mooncake

.

传统

黄文杰

六万五千四百三十元的广告
和一块月饼

Daryl Lim Wei Jie (translator) is a poet, translator, and literary critic from Singapore. His latest collection of poetry is Anything but Human (2021), which was shortlisted for the 2022 Singapore Literature Prize. His poetry won him the Golden Point Award for English Poetry in 2015. His work has been featured in POETRY Magazine, Poetry Daily, The Southwest Review and elsewhere. [Daryl Lim Wei Jie and chajournal.blog.]

林伟杰，是新加坡（英语）诗人、译者与文学评论者。最新诗集《Anything but Human》（除了人，2021）入选2022年新加坡文学奖；曾获2015年新加坡金笔奖（英文诗歌组）。作品刊登于《POETRY》（诗歌）杂志、《Poetry Daily》（诗歌日志），及《The Southwest Review》（西南评论季刊）等。

Wang Mun Kiat (poet) is a Singaporean writer born in 1967. He is currently an engineer and lives in Bangkok, Thailand. He was exposed to contemporary poetry and started writing in the 1980s. His works have mostly been published in Singapore’s literary journals and the Chinese daily, Lianhe Zaobao. He was awarded the Golden Point Award in 2013, and was shortlisted for the Singapore Literature Prize in 2014. His poetry collections include Not Yet Midnight and Short Tongue.

黄文杰，1967年生，新加坡人，现为工程师，于泰国曼谷定居。80年代开始接触诗歌创作，作品多见于新加坡文学杂志和《联合早报》副刊。 2013年获颁新加坡金笔奖，2014年入围新加坡文学奖。著有诗集《夜未央》与《短舌》。

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