MCLC: Military parade poems

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Military parade poems
Here is a poem by Shen Haobo on the military parade referred to in the "Hate-watching the CCTV new year's gala" post. See also http://banianerguotoukeyihe.com/2015/10/04/mittelmeer-militar-%E6%B2%88%E6%B5%A9%E6%B3%A2/ 
Shen Haobo
A SWELL MILITARY PARADE
Our leader waves from the watchtower
like every leader before him
soldiers in lockstep on the square
female soldier’s breasts
swelling in unison
bombers and tanks
like mosquitoes and tigers
downtrodden people living like hogs
suddenly become patriots
crying hot tears before their TVs
they want to step forward right now
to swear allegiance under the flag
2)
I’ve no doubt at all
if they wanted to
they could make
a herd of mantises
march in goose-step over the square
and a spider
wave at them
3)
yesterday tanks and missiles marched on the square
yesterday pigeons and planes had to fly in the sky
yesterday old men had to stand a whole hour up on the tower
yesterday raining was not allowed
yesterday heaven’s bladder was swelling like hell
so he would not appear like a terrorist
today the rain is making a splash
9/4/15
Tr. MW, Sept. 2015
I have translated several poems on the Parade. Here is one by Yi Sha. See also http://banianerguotoukeyihe.com/2015/10/02/september-dreams-%E4%BC%8A%E6%B2%99/ 
and http://banianerguotoukeyihe.com/2015/11/10/traume-vom-september-yi-sha-%E4%BC%8A%E6%B2%99/
Yi Sha
DREAM #553
one phalanx
after the other
of paper soldiers
passing in goose step
paper trucks
passing slowly
carrying
paper rockets
paper tanks
have to have tanks
they drive on their own
armoured vehicles
glued out of paper
and paper air-planes
pass in the sky
just like kites
with broken strings
don’t know where they’re flying
don’t know where they’re going
don’t know whose hands
have glued them together
guess they’ll be burned
on tomb-sweeping day
burned for some ghost
way down below
September 2015
Tr. MW, Oct. 2015
Here is one by Xu Jiang, in German: http://banianerguotoukeyihe.com/2015/09/09/siegestag-%E5%BE%90%E6%B1%9F/
Have a good year of the monkey!
Martin
by denton.2 at osu.edu on February 4, 2016
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