Wu Suzhen's 'Raising a Tigress' - translation by Ouyang Yu

Raising a Tigress

She really is an adult now! And I admit that I am the woman

who has been planting the willows for years. I’m now enjoying the cool, a tigress

keeping me apart from the crowd. And I don’t have to worry

about the peace of the world as a roar

would be enough to make it impossible for the forthcomers. No admittance 

for the casual and relaxed or she might tone it down a bit

if there were a Death Impossible Plate, swaggering through the streets in sunglasses

like a cat, and that’s when I shall whisper

for her to storm the crowd

liking for her to hurt to a maximum impact, her whole body soft to the extreme

I feed her meat, keeping her alive longer than me, gorgeous-coloured

in every blade of her hair; I keep her running, with electricity

to keep every wild heart, floating in the dark night, close

to the tigress

with habits similar enough

《养一只老虎》

它的确成年了！我承认自己就是那个

多年用心插柳的人。现在我乘凉，人群与我

一虎之距。我不必忧虑

人世是否安好，一声叫啸

也足以后无来者。闲人免入

或者领一张免死牌

它也有收敛，会带着一副墨镜招摇过市

像猫咪一样时，我会接着用耳语

让它突奔人群

喜欢它伤害事物到极致，浑身绵软到极致

我喂它食肉，让它活得比我长，毛尖

漾起斑澜；我让它跑，带着电

让每一颗在暗夜里浮动的野心，刚好

与虎亲

习相近

Wu Suzhen, a woman poet, born in Jinxi, Jiangxi province, China, in the 1980s, is a member of Chinese Writers’ Association, whose poetry has been widely published in China. To date, she has published two collections of poetry, Seeing the Butterflies, published in 2014 by Changjiang Literature and Arts Publishing House, and The Unfinished Journey, published in 2013 by Lijiang Publishing House.