The wind blows in, bringing signs of rain.
The woods darken,
rustle, then settle back into silence.

Woods shrouded and dim, as if a place to be,
as if the center of all the things of the world.
In its shadowed hush, memory flares.

Here are the changes of the ages, its continuation,
and the impermanence of all that live in time.
It is from here that speech begins.

风过林

风带着雨意吹过事物

树林中暗了下来

树林一时微喧，一时又沉寂

幽暗的树林，仿佛一个去处

仿佛是世界上万般事物的中心

幽暗的树林，记忆在那里忽然闪现

那里是时代的更迭，延续，过往

似水流年的无常

那里是言辞开始的地方

Translated from the Chinese by Anni Liu.

---

Du Ya was born in Xuchang County, Henan Province, China in 1968. She started writing poetry at the age of twelve and has published many poetry collections and won multiple awards, including the “Top Ten Young Female Poets in the New Century” award , Liu Li’an Poetry Award, “Poetry Exploration” Annual Award, and “Yangtze River” Poetry Award, among others. Her poems have been translated into English, German, Russian, Italian, Czech, Japanese and other languages. She lives in Xuchang City, Henan Province.