Revenge I

REVENGE I

Lu Xun, 1924, Dec.

Tr. Huiwen Zhang, 2012, Nov.

The thickness of human skin, probably less than 1/10 inch; bright red hot blood following precisely underneath it through vessels that are even denser than the densely layered silkworms climbing up a wall, surges, shedding warmth.  Thus each with this warmth bewitches, incites, and tugs the other, with all their might desiring to cuddle, to kiss, to embrace, so as to gain life’s sinking, intoxicating Nirvana.

But if using a sharp-pointed sword, one single strike, piercing the peach-red, tenuous skin, bright red hot blood will spray arrows and with all its warmth immediately flood the slaughterer; then, touching him with icy breath, showing him pale lips, will cause him to lose all his humanity and gain life’s soaring, climaxing Nirvana; as for the slaughtered, he himself will be perpetually immersed in life’s soaring, climaxing Nirvana.

This way, therefore, the two of them, stark naked, gripping swords, stand facing each other in the vast wilderness.

The two of them about to embrace, about to slaughter….

Passers-by hurry here from all directions, densely layered, like silkworms climbing up a wall, like ants ready to haul away a cured fish head.  Their clothes are all pretty, their hands, however, empty.  Yet they hurry here from all directions and with all their might stretch their necks to enjoy and examine the embrace or slaughter.  They already forefeel the later fresh taste of the sweat or blood on their own tongues.

Yet the two of them stand facing each other in the vast wilderness, stark naked, gripping swords, but neither embracing, nor slaughtering, nor even revealing an intention to embrace or slaughter.

The two of them remain this way til eternity, round, limber bodies already about to wither, but revealing not even the least intention to embrace or slaughter.

Passers-by thus get bored; they feel boredom drilling into their pores, drilling out of their own hearts through their pores, climbing all over the wilderness, and drilling in turn into others’ pores.  They thus feel dry throats and tongues, as well as tired necks, so that eventually they look at one another in blank dismay and slowly walk away, even feel so withered that they lose life’s joy.

Thus left behind is only the vast wilderness.  Yet the two of them in it, stark naked, gripping swords, stand withered; with the gaze of the dead enjoying and examining the witheredness of the passers-by, a bloodless slaughter, the two of them perpetually immersed in life’s soaring, climaxing Nirvana.

  Interpretation click here!