Aku Wuwu Poems

Before it died,
that shaman's drum,
had tears like a wall of stone,
and laughter that roared like a flood;
though lacking hands or feet
it soared over mountains,
and across rivers,
and climbed up the steepest cliffs.
There wasn't a spot between heaven and earth it hadn't gone:
no sound of its steps in the forests,
no sound of its steps in the seas.

The spirits of the black-skinned ones,
the winged ones,
the wearers of palm copra clothing,
those fleeced with scissors, and so on,
served as its emissaries to the ghosts;
just like at the time of creation
the spirit Sysse Dihni sent
many emissaries to the human world. [i]
The drum could call forth both the dead and the living
to meet upon a bloody animal skin.
Yet, each could see only half of the other.
The unseen is unseen
because of the red blotches on the hide,
like clouds in the sky.

Before dying
the drum would speak with the ghosts,
then return to speak with the living,
like a fine steed galloping around its race track.
But the drum did not know
if it was a horse,
or if it was the race track.
It was like a
carved wooden memory stick,
half black and half white.

If in those homes with drums
a woman soiled the drum,
the belly of the family sow would suddenly explode;
if a man broke the taboo of eating dog,
the family ox would trip, dropping dead in the furrows.

The mother of the drum
was the highest spring on the highest mountain.
Yet, the spring was encircled by rocks,
so water could not flow-
water bubbling as if boiling in a dream.

The shaman's drum was like
the musk glands of a water deer-
its value realized only after death.

Before the shaman's drum died,
it had become like
the only stud boar
in a mountain village
- constantly lent out. [ii]
The drum's stories are held all within the drumstick,
just as oars hold a boat's life while on the sea.

When the shaman of that village was beaten to death
by the sse ghost;
it is said that after he was killed
two buckwheat cakes were given him [iii]
for the trip on the road of the dead:
one was eaten by the "corpse rooting pig,"
the other was hung on a tall fir tree,
becoming a bell
that rings high in the mountains.


- - - - -
[i] Among the Nuosu people of southwest China, the names of animals used in sacrifices cannot be spoken, thus they are referred to with euphemisms such as the "black-skinned ones" for pigs, chickens, and goats. Palm copra clothing is a coded reference to Han Chinese (Hxiegma), while wool-bearing sheep (fleeced with scissors) refers to the Nuosu people. Sysse Dihni is a heavenly god mentioned in the early parts of the Book of Origins (Hnewo teyy), an epic narrative that relates the origins of life on earth.

[ii] Farm families do not like raising boars, as it is more economical to raise sows and piglets. Both boars and sows can be loaned out for free to close relatives, or with the expectation that a certain number of baby pigs will be given back to the owner of the sow. A boar would normally only be engaged for a short time, and after a while a small pig or two would be returned as payment. A village, or cluster of villages, may have only one shaman (sunyi) with his (or occasionally her) drum, the specialist helping individual families as needed (often to cure illness, or aid in difficult births) - so the drum is connected to life, just as the boar is to sacrifices.

[iii] Usually only one buckwheat cake (shaka) is provided for the dead for his or her trip to the land of the ancestors. But here the shaman was given two - suggesting one buckwheat cake was actually the shaman's drum, which could not (in accord to custom) be left in the home after his death. During a funeral a pig (mo nbu vo, corpse-rooting-pig) is kept near the corpse, and it's soul helps to initially direct the person's way to the land of the dead. During the cremation, the pig is killed and eaten by the relatives. The image of bells on trees is mentioned in some Yi classical works. It is unclear if the references are to the custom of hanging a shaman's drum in the mountains after his or her death.
...

ꀋꌦꀕꂾꇰꋒ,ꉨꃚꇓꁨꉼꋺ,ꇿꃚꒈꂃꄓꋺ。ꑭꀋꆄꇇꀋꆄꑴꇬ,ꁦꐂꇈꅂ,
ꒉꈴꃪꈴ,ꁁꍧꀋꄹ,ꀡꄍꀋꄹ,ꃅꑆꈏꄅꉇꄅꀋꏮꀋꈩꅉꀋꐥ。

ꑅꆈꌠ； ꅐꆄꌠ；ꎴꁧꈚꌠ；ꑐꄉꌠ；ꋍꊩꌺꀋꐛꑵꀋꐥ,ꃅꃴꃄꄅꁉꄮꇬ,
ꌦꌺꄂꅪꊩꌺꊛꄉꊪꎼꏃꃅꉬꐮꎭꌠꌡ。ꇰꋒ,ꌦꌠꐥꌠꋌꈻꌊꎇꃀꑆꅩꍠꀕꑠ
ꁬꀂꏽꄉꐮꂿ。ꄰ,ꈍꄮꑌꁁꂿꁁꀋꂿꇬꎷ。ꀋꂿꁀꌠꆏꎇꃀꌦꆈꈿ,ꑆꇬꄄꆈꃰ
ꌠꆄꑴꄷ。

ꀋꌦꀕꂾꇰꋒ,ꑍꋌꏭꅇꀠꌦ,ꃰꊿꏭꅇꇰꌦꃅ。ꃆꇭꏪꈜꇀꂷꑌꌡ,ꋍꉝꅉꏪ
ꈜꅊꃆꇭꉬꀋꎺ;ꌩꇇꃀꈮꁁꀊꐎꈮꁁꀉꆈꏢꑌꌡ。

ꇰꋒꈁꁨꌠ,ꃌꅿꈪꀋꑌꇰꋒꍍꃤꃅ,ꃺꃀꉆꏅꌦ;ꁦꋠꉪꀋꐥꋚꇢꈌꎸꋠ,ꂿ
ꇌꂿꈌꇢꏿꌦ。

ꇰꋒꀉꂿꆹꀑꇈꒉꐑꐫ,ꄰꈭꇍꇓꈯꏜꈨꀕꒈꂪꁗꅉꎷꀋꊌ,ꀄꂼꒉꈾꋇꀕꈾ。

ꇰꋒꆹꇌꎸꈌꌡ,ꇌꈯꄿꌦꈭꐨꑲꆀꀊꅰꃅꃰꊿꌌꄉꁌꇐꈤ。

ꀋꌦꀕꂾꇰꋒ,ꁡꇤꋋꂷꇬꃺꇁꀉꄂꀕꂶꌠꐛ。

ꇰꋒꁮꅉꋑꂪꀵꐺꌐꅊꇈ,ꎿꄩꇈꌺꀑꇬꎟꀻꀵꐺꌐꌠꌡ:ꁡꇤꇬꌠꑊꂶꌠꌻ
ꅥꌥꄮꇬ,ꎮꈁꑍꂷꇱꅅꈨ,ꋍꂷꂿꂇꃺꇣꋠꌐ;ꋍꂷꑳꄩꁦꀑꎺꁧꑀꂿꐛ……
...

When a dragon egg was placed in a grassy place, the cut grass would flourish by next day. Placed in a rice bin, the rice would soon overflow. Placed in a warehouse for gold and silver, the gold and silver would increase like stones that could be carried off at will…. If a dragon egg was placed into the brain . . . If placed into the heart….
Ancient stories were like the clear light of a crescent moon. Dogs barked, sounding like the tides.
Up to now, everyone on earth searches for dragon eggs from within the lines of the ancient stories. Yet, it seems that someone has placed the dragon eggs on a rough, winding road; getting one has become more and more difficult. Dragon eggs never seem to be placed on the path of human life, thus only such a man as Yote syni could grow younger and younger during his lifetime. Nevertheless he lived only 360 years.
It is said that one who swallows a dragon egg will be in constant thirst. Even a big bucket of water won't be enough to slake the thirst, nor the waters of rivers and lakes. Only water of the oceans can stop the thirst. It's no dream. Thus, where is the ocean that belongs to me? What about the feelings of an only son's mother?
Thirsty all of the time. When did the ancient dragon egg appear in my stomach? Over time, my body became a burning stone; that became the reason for my thirst. At that moment, gold and silver lay rotting, fields filled with mutated grains.
Thirst as I facing the hilltops. Thirst when facing the elders. Thirst when facing young couples. Thirst when facing the babies. Thirst when looking back 300 million years ago. Thirsty looking forward 300 million years from now.
"If a dragon can lay eggs, the son of a dragon must grow wings," tears of an only son's mother flying like autumn leaves.
A girl was born, last night, in the village of my dreams. So much water was needed to produce that child. Water for washing her burnt like fire. Before opening her eyes for the first time, the drunk men in the village nicknamed her "Lu ddur mo"
( emerging dragon girl)
At that moment, I transformed into a watchdog.


*Note: Landslides are attributed to the movements of dragons. The girl was born during a landslide, so she was given the name emerging dragon girl.
...

ꀋꈑꃺꃼ
ꇐꏿꄻꏜꁧꇱꄉꇬ，ꏜꁧꋍꑍꒇꋍꑍꀉꄻꀕ，ꇐꏿꄻ
ꋚꂷꇱꄉꇬ，ꋚꂷꋍꑍꋉꋍꑍꁯꅑꆹ；ꇐꏿꄻꐎꏂꇱꄉ
ꇬ，ꐎꏂꇓꁨꎞꃅꎞ……ꇐꏿꄻꉪꇐꇱꈧꐛꇮꇬ，ꇐ
ꏿꄻꉂꏣꇱꈧꐛꇮꇬ……
――ꀊꆨꁮꅉꅂꐛꐙꑟꀕ，ꈌꃮꎓꇙꀕ！
ꃰꊿꈀꐥꌠ，ꀊꆨꁮꅉꈐꏭꄉꇐꏿꋋꂷꎹꅷꀃꑍꑟ。
ꇐꏿꄻꈛꎭꇱꎼꇁꌠꌡ，ꈝꃀꈪꀕꄂꀕꋍꑍꉚꋍꑍꀊꎴ
ꆹ；ꇐꏿꄻꈎꄜꇱꎼꇁꑲꀋꌧꌠꌡ，ꃰꊿꐥꇈꆗꇊꑟꌠ
ꑾꄮꌦꅿꂷꀉꄂꐥꅅꈨ，ꑾꄮꌦꅿꑌꌕꉐꃘꊰꈎꀉꄂꊌ
ꅅꈨ。
ꇐꏿꑍꅝꇬꀉꄂ，ꒉꌤꇬꎷꄷ，ꒈꀮꄷꇉꅝꀋꇎ，
ꒊꃀꒈꌺꅝꀋꇎ，ꎾꃚꑲꆀꌤꁮꃹꄎꄷ。ꀄꂼꌠꀋꉬ，
ꉠꎾꃚꇿꐛꂯ？ꌞꌺꄂꀋꃀꑞꉪꑌꀋꐚ。
ꉢꒉꌤꇬꎷ，ꀊꆨꇐꏿꈍꄮꐂꇁꉠꉌꃀꈐꏭꃹꀋꐚ，
ꉠꇭꀧꈯꄿꇓꊸꃚꅩꍠꀕꂷꐛꆹꄉ，ꉢꒉꌤꇬꎷ。ꑠꄮ
ꇬ，ꐎꏂꍹꐛ，ꋚꁧꌼꂅꇧꁠꌐ。
ꉢꏮꁦꇬꇈꇬꉜꄉꉢꒉꌤ，ꉢꏮꁍꁈꀿꃀꉜꄉꉢꒉ
ꌤ，ꉢꏮꁦꋠꃌꅿꉜꄉꉢꒉꌤ，ꉢꏮꀉꑳꀿꏂꉜꄉꉢꒉ
ꌤ，ꉢꏮꌕꉐꃪꀕꈎꂴꆽꉜꄉꉢꒉꌤ，ꉢꏮꉬꉐꃪꀕꈎ
ꇈꉈꉜꄉꉢꒉꌤ。ꄚ，ꉠꎿꃚꇿꐛꂯ？ꌞꌺꄂꀋꃀꑞꉪ
ꑌꀋꐚ。
"ꇐꏿꐤꄟꉜꇬ，ꇐꌺꋌꑵꑞꃅꑌꅐꅑꑵꉬꌠ"ꌞ
ꌺꄂꀋꃀꑓꁴꌩꏾꁏꃅꁏ。
ꉠꀄꂼꁡꇤꂶꌠꇬ，ꀋꅞꉖꀋꃋꍈꊌꄉ，ꀉꑳꍈꀄꊭ
ꇬ，ꃀꅉꀆꐒꀋꇰꀋꇊꈨꃹꑵꉬꅊꇈ！ꀉꑳꌃꒉꃅꉘꐞ
ꃅꐞꑵꉬꅊꇈ！
ꀋꃋꋋꍈꑓꀋꁨꌦꇯꆐ，ꁡꇤꎧꑱꊿꈧꌠꇱꌌꀋꎪꀋ
ꑴꃅ"ꇐꅐꃀ"ꂓꄉ！
ꑠꄮꇬ，ꉡꑌꁮꅉꃅꄷꈌꀞꄹꀧꂷꐛꆹꇰ！……
...

Grandfather hunted tigers.
Father sold tiger skins.

Before being sold,
Those tiger skins were hung before the house.
And as pregnant ewes crossed the courtyard one by one
Their lambs were lost.
Hung behind the house, those skins,
And the pears and peach trees withered one by one.

On the prairie of my dreams Father
Strode among the crowds
Clothed in a tiger skin.
As shouts of, "A tiger's coming" rang throughout
The stone walls of the village,
They cracked,
And rocks rolled like scrambling goats.
The last was Mother, chased by the tiger to wood's end;
There she died, yet was brought to life again.

Before being sold, the tiger skins
Were the skins of sky
The skins of earth
The skins of water
The skins of rock.
When turned into windows on the wall
Those tiger skins would reveal my person.
Should I be seen it would be seen with
Hunting gun on shoulder.

When deciding to make a sacred drum of tiger skin,
One fears only those beats that deliver
Withering plagues through the endless forest.
On making a harness of tiger skin for the ox
The one fear is no more land to plow.
When making a banner of tiger skin
The one fear is that of finding no one to raise it.

I have never seen a tiger skin, nor indeed a tiger.
"'A man leaves behind only his name at death;
A tiger leaves only its skin.'"
In this life of yours, why not be a tiger?"
And why were the children taught this way?
Whatever the reason, all those tiger skins
Were sold by my father.

On New Year's Eve pine needles covered the sitting room floor.
Not one of Grandfather's footprints could be found.
Did he die again in the sky? Let it be just a dream.

I carried my cold heart to lay it upon
the pine needles piled there in the sitting room.
I did not feel the needle pricks as their tattoos
Covered my body.
It was again the midnight of that day
The midnight of that day.
...

ꀉꁌꆿꅥ。

ꀋꁧꆿꑆꃷ。

ꆿꑆꀋꃷꌦꂾ,ꄻꑳꂾꈠꄉ,ꑳꂾꍶꃀꒀꃀꌺꑌꌠꌺꇗꌐ;ꄻꑳꊂꈠꄉ,ꑳꊂꌧꃰꌧꅗꋍꁧꈬꐙꋍꁧꊂꈹ。

ꀄꂼꅔꏁꄩ,ꀋꁧꆿꑆꈪꈚꊾꈬꇬꀥꐺ,ꊿꉬꇮꆿꇁꀐꄸ,ꁡꇤꁡꇊꇓꁨꈁꐛꌠꑾꈯꃅꈯꌐ。ꀉꂿꀉꄂ,ꆿꅸꌩꏪꆸꈈꄉꋍꃢꌦꇈꄓꇁ。

ꆿꑆꀋꃷꌦꂾ,ꃅꑆꐛꋺ;ꊖꑆꐛꋺ;ꒉꑆꐛꋺ;ꃪꑆꐛꋺ;ꌍꑓꐛꄮꇬ,ꌍꑓꈴꄉꉠꉝꅉꈯꄿꀉꄂꂿꀋꉆ。ꂿꉆꇮꇬ,ꉢꍩꄌꆼꁠꈢꀕꂯ?

ꆿꑆꌌꇰꋒꊨꂿꄷꇈ,ꋑꃚꌩꏪꋌꌌꆅꏂꊌꁧꏦ;ꆿꑆꌌꇌꈻꏣꃢꂿꄷꇈ,ꉞꁍꃅꅪꂿꀋꇎꏦ;ꆿꑆꌌꁈꁧꈪꂿꄷꇈ,ꊿꇬꌊꄐꌠꀋꐥꏦ。

ꉢꆿꑆꂿꀋꋻ,ꆿꂿꀋꋻ。ꆿꌦꌩꄹꐛ,ꊿꌦꆿꅪꐛ,ꃰꊿꂒꇬ,ꆿꌦꑆꁬꃅꑴꇬ,ꀉꂿꅺꊪꅺꃰꏋꄹꏋꄉꉠꏯꀠ:ꀋꌦꃅꆿꀋꐛꇂꄷ,ꌺꂘꈍꏯꂘꀋꐚ,ꋌꂾ,ꑠꄮꇬꆿꑆꀋꁧꃷꇫꎭꀐꅊꇈ!

ꋋꄹꈎꀕꏅꄹꂰ,ꉪꏤꑱꈐꄯꊰꈈꇉꄩ,ꀉꁌꑭꐨꇬꁮꊊꀋꂿ,ꂿꃅꇬꑌꋍꃢꌦꑴꌦꑵꉬꏭꁮ,ꀄꂼꐛꅉꉫꑟꁈꀋꐥ!

——ꉠꉌꃀꈺꌋꀕꍇꌠ,ꉢꄌꌊꑌꂾꅉꏯꄯꊰꃴꍗꃴꆧꁏꈧꌠꀂꏽꑕꎍ,ꄯꊰꉀꀕꑌꀋꌋ,ꂷꋶꆈꀱꀕꇈꂷꋶꆈꀱꀕ,ꌋꐓꆺꄜꀕꇈꌋꐓꆺꄜꀕ!……
...

Looking left, a black hand
To the right, a black hand
A dark curtain shrouding me when
At twilight I long for my amo

In the front yard, there may be a potato patch
Where potatoes probably bloom.
Those potato flowers may bear seed pods.
As those potato flowers are busy blooming
Amo's sweat surges like a spring,
The drops of Amo's sweat
Ringing on potato leaves.

There may be a buckwheat patch in the backyard,
Buckwheat leaves as wide as grain sifters,
Seeds the size of fists.
How many buckwheat leaves
Were nurtured from sprouts by Amo?
How many buckwheat kernels
Were so carefully raised by Amo?

Oh, my amo, her back stacked with firewood,
Staggering from the woods across from home;
I can't say if her steps are steady or not,
As her feet may slip down the slope,
And her hands may grasp only thin air.

Oh, my amo, she cut a basket of grass
Walking straight from the grasses behind the house.
I wonder if she can see her way clearly?
Will she step upon a toad or poison snake?

Too hard to forget, too hard to forget!
Amo, busy borrowing money from the neighbor's- -
Will the neighbor's dogs bite her?
Will the neighbor's chickens peck her?
Don't fear, don't fear!
Not one of their dogs unkind,
Not one of their chickens unfriendly.

Don't worry, don't worry!
Amo may be in the sitting room, putting away food for hard times;
Or maybe busy cooking there around the fireplace.
Or sitting and eating in the sitting room
Or busy knitting or weaving under the eaves
Or busy making whatever is needed at home
Or busy leaving
A heritage for her descendants.

Don't fear, don't fear!
My amo seems busy grinding grain by the millstones,
Calling chickens by the door
Feeding pigs at the pigsty
Standing on the hilltop before the house
Gazing into the distance, awaiting her
Youngest son's return home.

Oh, Amo!
Carrying a bucket of water thick as ink,
Carrying two buckets deep as the sea.
Tides surge behind the son.

The tidewaters are Amo's milk,
The tidewaters are Amo's sweat,
The tidewaters are Amo's blood.

Tides surge behind the son.
The son's body, milks;
His wisdom, sweat;
His life, blood.

Oh, Amo, you went to carry water,
Though the spring can never run dry,
Night comes.
What can I do? What can I do?

At twilight I long for my amo.
Looking down, I sense the warmth
As warm as before I raised my head;
I wish to push aside those ashes that lie
Angled in the fireplace.


1987
...

ꏮꐰꉜꑌꇇꀉꆈꁆ
ꏮꉎꉜꑌꇇꀉꆈꁆ
ꂪꌦꀉꆈꁎꍔꌊ
ꉠꏯꉜꄉꇁꇬꎷ
ꃅꃤꄮꇬ
ꉢꎺꉠꀉꂿꄀ——

ꑳꐮꑸꑽꏬꊪꋭ
ꑸꑽꃨꏭꐛꀐ
ꊪꇖꆄꏭꐛꀐ
ꃧꃨꍻꄹꍻ
ꀉꂿꇵꂷꍻꄹꍻ
ꊪꇖꏋꄹꏋ
ꀉꂿꇵꂷꏋꄹꏋ

ꑳꉎꈵꆈꏬꏿꋭ
ꈾꏾꃬꏢꃐ
ꈾꂷꇵꊫꒊ
ꈾꆧꈍꑋꏾ
ꀉꂿꇵꂷꈍꑋꂷꌌꀠꌠꉬꏭꐛ
ꈾꂷꈍꑋꂷ
ꀉꂿꑊꑆꈍꑋꄀꌌꆦꌠꉬꏭꐛ

ꀒ!ꀉꂿꌨꃤꀵꌊ
ꑳꅶꌩꏪꆈꊉꀕꅉꇀꇰꄉ
ꄔꐽꄔꀋꐽꑌꀋꐚ
ꑭꎙꈜꐯꃸꑌꌬꀋꄿ
ꇇꎙꈜꉐꅞꑌꌬꀋꄿ
ꀒ!ꀉꂿꏜꈆꒇꌊ
ꑳꊂꏜꁍꁡꊭꂦꅉꇀꇰꄉ
ꑓꂿꑓꀋꂿꑌꀋꐚ
ꀌꀠꄔꑌꇮ
ꁮꏂꄔꑌꇮ

ꀋꎺꀋꇊ ꀋꎺꀋꇊ
ꀉꂿꃷꇎꃷꇤꎆꉛꋙꉛꐺꄉ
ꃷꇎꈌꑝꈰꑴꂼ
ꃷꇤꃬꋖꈰꑴꂼ
ꀋꏦꀞ ꀋꏦꀞ
ꃷꇎꈌꉠꀉꂿꑝꅲꌠꀋꐥ
ꃷꇤꃬꉠꀉꂿꋖꀬꌠꀋꐥ

ꀋꏦꀞ ꀋꏦꀞ
ꉠꀉꂿꇤꈫꇤꇋꏮꄉ
ꋚꃅꒉꑽꐺꏭꐛ
ꇤꐮꇤꉎꑌꄉ
ꋙꋠꒉꅝꐺꏭꐛ
ꑌꂾꇤꇀꑌꄉ
ꀯꃹꎭꃹꃅꏭꐛ
ꇇꃅꇇꑘꃅꏭꐛ
ꍸꇐꇇꊂꄻꏭꐛ

ꀋꏦꀞ ꀋꏦꀞ
ꉠꀉꂿꇣꁁꉆꄉꐂꇓꃴꏭꐛ
ꈵꃴꉆꄉꃬꐜꐺꏭꐛ
ꃺꉻꈐꄉꃺꋚꄐꏭꐛ
ꑳꂾꇭꋓꉆꄉ
ꆈꄂꀕꃅꑳꐮꆫꏭꐛ
ꌻꑘꌷꈻꇀꇁꉚꏭꐛ

ꀉꂿꇆ,ꆏꂾꒉꈎꆹꅊꇈ
ꋍꀮꈎꌌꇀꑌꆏꃝꌺꊂꎭ
ꑍꀮꈎꌌꇀꑌꆏꃝꌺꊂꎭ

ꌺꊂꒈꂃꒊꇙꄓ
ꒉꀕꇆ!ꀉꂿꆃꆂ
ꒉꀕꇆ!ꀉꂿꇵꂷ
ꒉꀕꇆ!ꀉꂿꌦꅪ

ꌺꊂꒈꂃꒊꇙꄓ
ꆃꆂꇆ!ꌻꑘꀑꇬ
ꇵꂷꇆ!ꌻꑘꈯꄿ
ꌦꅪꇆ!ꌻꑘꌧꇐ

ꀉꂿꇆ,ꆏꂾꒉꈎꆹꅊꇈ
ꀆꐒꈎꈤꇀꂡꇫꀋꐥꑴꌦ
ꂿꃋꈊꅉꇀꅉꑟꀐꂼ
ꈍꃅꂯꇆꈍꃅꂯ

ꃅꃤꄮꇬ
ꉢꎺꉠꀉꂿꄀ——
ꏮꐰꉜꑌꊷꆣꀕꃅꐙ
ꏮꉎꉜꑌꊷꆣꀕꃅꐙ
ꉢꃆꄔꇤꂄꀺꆸꏢꉨ
...