From “North of the Earth”
BY DONG LI
what was there to cover
the face of the village littered with baskets of bronze shouldered by the young as they slowly trod along the new cement roads not a single child under the shade of a tree to wave their parents to eat from the fields
a river of rust brightly black under the moon he heard their heartbeats or was it the moon or the cold of a rain near dawn
a rivulet of words trickled on a page then flickered under the kerosene light his hair grew long waving outside the window the earth was breathing
the far mounds under cover of the moon
carrots meats shredded mixed in bean-made vermicelli past spring festival happiness mixed in fire cracks that he no longer missed
no return to a place called home
a train of thought-threads woven snaking around word after word until a world birthed another world
sing and let sing
he wrote across nights when words flowered on a page of poetry that attracted the company of flowers
outside his night window a world was lit as he looked through
a strange feeling of blue that night could not cover that night wound its way to the heart burning
in the confinement of the body a shade of blue burst within a shade of blue gleaming her ponytail weighing heavy on his lids
night eyes were staring in the pane then blurred by a thorn tree shriveled in red
was red the shade of love
Source: Poetry (April 2022)
Referensi:
1. https://www.poetryfoundation.org
Vocabulary:
1. littered = berserakan
- the face of the village littered with baskets of bronze
2. trod = Jalan kecil
- they slowly trod along the new cement roads
3. rust = karat
- a river of rust brightly black under the moon
4. heartbeats = detak jantung
- he heard their heartbeats or was it the moon or the cold of a rain near dawn
5. dawn = Fajar
- he heard their heartbeats or was it the moon or the cold of a rain near dawn
6. rivulet = anak sungai
- a rivulet of words trickled on a page then flickered under the kerosene light
7. trickled = menetes
- a rivulet of words trickled on a page then flickered under the kerosene light
8. flickered = berkedip-kedip
- a rivulet of words trickled on a page then flickered under the kerosene light
9. mounds = gundukan
- the far mounds under cover of the moon
10. shredded = diparut
- carrots meats shredded mixed in bean-made vermicelli past spring festival happiness mixed in fire cracks that he no longer missed
11. vermicelli = bihun
- carrots meats shredded mixed in bean-made vermicelli past spring festival happiness mixed in fire cracks that he no longer missed
12. woven = tenunan
- a train of thought-threads woven snaking around word after word until a world birthed another world
sing and let sing
13. snaking = meliuk-liuk
- a train of thought-threads woven snaking around word after word until a world birthed another world sing and let sing
14. lit = menyala
- he wrote across nights when words flowered on a page of poetry that attracted the company of flowers outside his night window a world was lit as he looked through
15. confinement = kurungan
- the confinement of the body a shade of blue burst within a shade of blue gleaming her ponytail weighing heavy on his lids
16. pane = panel
- night eyes were staring in the pane then blurred by a thorn tree shriveled in red was red the shade of love
17. blurred = kabur
- night eyes were staring in the pane then blurred by a thorn tree shriveled in red was red the shade of love
18. shriveled = layu
- night eyes were staring in the pane then blurred by a thorn tree shriveled in red was red the shade of love
Demikian. Semoga bermanfaat..
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