Seeking Sand Dollars 尋貝

SEEKING SAND DOLLARS

—Ocean Beach

This beach
named “Ocean”
on the other shore
I crossed the sea and ocean
to land on
is the edge of the world
stretching endlessly
in America.

I heard that the waves
sometimes sprinkled
sand dollars
on her Golden Coast.

Even with the shells
sporadic and scarce
and shell pickers
numerous and eager
I neither full of hope
nor without hope
also lean over
to search.

Yet in the ocean storms
violent and capricious
the sand dollars
delicate and exquisite
may already have been crushed
drifting and scattering in gloom
unable to become whole again.

As my heart drained of spirit
my eyes exhausted of strength
inadvertently looking up
toward the vast water
I see the splashing fountain and
giant black back of a whale
emerging—
like hope
burdened with weight
but full of power
once arising
the whole ocean
will surge with it.

尋貝

—Ocean Beach

這彼岸的沙灘
我漂洋過海的
棲落之地
以海洋為名
是伸展無際的
美洲天涯

聽說那大海
有時會拋出
沙錢貝
灑落在她的
黃金海岸

儘管零星渺茫
拾貝者眾多
我並不滿懷希望
卻也不無希望地
俯身尋覓

而海上風暴無常
玲瓏的沙錢貝
或許早已被擊碎
黯然飄散
無法重圓

當我耗盡了
心神與眼力
無意中抬頭
望向那茫茫大海
卻看見飛濺的噴泉
鯨魚巨大的黑色脊背
在海上浮現—
如同希望
身背重負
卻充滿力量
一旦升起
整個海洋
都為之涌動

This poem has been published on MiGoZine (1st issue of 2021): https://migozine.org/2021/01/12/yu/