Zhou Yunpeng and one of his songs

The following words are written by Zhou Yunpeng, a Chinese blind folk singer, as an introductory piece for his album The Chinese Kids. Translated by me.

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A snake sees what moves; a dog's world is black&white; in a dragonfly's eyes, there're a thousand suns; and in the deep sea, many fish's eyes have regressed to two white dots.
It's our destiny to see what we can see, and not to see what we can't see. I love my own destiny, because she is the closest to me, and she is the unique door that opens and shuts only for me.
There are some remote places you will never go in your whole life. In Sichuan, there is a town called "White Jade"; in Tibet, there is a place called "Gonna Go, too", "YirChang" in Xinjiang, "Torn Buttonwood" in Hunan, all these names strike one's heart. They have faces and souls, and they have their secret stories lying between the ends of the world, hospitably summoning me to come to listen. But life is short and bitter, I may not have the time to listen to all the stories. If I don't have such a chance in this life, then let's shake hands with the mountains and waters between us.

I was walking on the street, and wanted to sing some words, and just at that moment, a person nearby sang those words out. What is the mythical strength that grasps two unknown hearts? Music is the ghost that is lingering above us. Whoever he grasps starts singing like crazy. But what should I do to make me be grasped by him in his hand forever?


I walked through all the land, or lived in a hut like a snail. I indulge myself in wine in the day and chant the buddha sutras in the night. I cry out the music, trying to drag myself out of the real life, but only ending up in vain. I bury my head in life, raising it to take a look attentively while I'm walking. Music is not in the air. It's in the soil, living next to the ant's door, oppositie to the snail's home. When my road comes to an end, or when we're not able to speak, music, may you come upon us.
 

 
A Letter from Allen Ginsberg's Mother
 
 
Flowers
 
Blue flowers, red flowers, and green flowers

Flowers

White flowers, yellow flowers and black flowers

Allen

Go get married,

take the key and don't take drugs any more

The vegetables were bought

Here they are: carrots, tomatoes and red peppers



I'm well in the asylumn, everything is OK

I receive electric strikes everyday

now I have no troubles with my mind

I have fish, meat and milk for my meal

The glass here is not dirty at all, not at all



Go get married, Allen

take the key and don't take drugs any more

The key is in the sunshine

beside the fence

on the windowsill in the sunshine

Allen
 
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蛇只能看见运动着的东西，狗的世界是黑白的，蜻蜓的眼睛里有一千个太阳。很多深海里的鱼，眼睛蜕化成了两个白点。能看见什么，不能看见什么，那是我们的宿命。我热爱自己的命运，她跟我最亲，她是专为我开，专为我关的独一无二的门。某些遥远的地方，一辈子都不可能去。四川有个县叫“白玉”，西藏昌都有个地方叫“也要走”，新疆的“叶尔羌”，湖南的“苍梧”，这些地名撼人心魄，有神态有灵魄，在天之涯海之角他们有隐秘的故事，殷勤地招呼我过去听。但人生苦短，我大概没有时间听所有的故事，如果今生无缘，那就隔着山山水水握一握手。

走在街上，想唱上一句，恰巧旁边的人唱出了那句歌。是什么样的神秘的力量抓住了两颗互不相识的心？音乐是游荡在我们头上的幽灵，它抓住谁，谁就发了疯似的想唱歌，可我怎么才能被它永远抓在手里？我走遍大地或是长久地蜗居一处，白日纵酒黑夜诵经，我呼喊音乐，把我从我的现实生活中拔出来，但常常落空，我只有埋头于生活里，专注地走一步看一步。音乐不在空中，它在泥土里，在蚂蚁的隔壁，在蜗牛的对门。当我们无路可走的时候，当我们说不出来的时候，音乐，愿你降临。

　　——周云蓬于香山　　
 
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艾伦·金斯堡妈妈的一封信
 
 
花
有蓝的花，有红的花，还有绿的花。
花
有白的花，有黄的花，还有黑的花。
爱伦，结婚吧，拿着钥匙不要再吸毒了。
菜已经买好了，有萝卜西红柿，还有红辣椒。
　　　

我在疯人院里一切都很好，每天做着电击，没有烦恼。
每顿饭有鱼有肉还有牛奶。
这里的玻璃一点都不脏。


艾伦，结婚吧，
拿着钥匙不要再吸毒了，
钥匙在阳光下，
在栅栏旁，
在阳光下的窗台上。