The Road to Heaven is too Dark

 

an earthquake poem posted online by an unknown Chinese poet, translated by Alex Tang

Come, my child,
Hold onto mom's hands.
The road to Heaven is too dark.
I'm afraid you might be hurt again.
Come, hold mom's hands tightly.
Let mom go with you.

Mom, I'm afraid,
The road to Heaven is too dark.
I can't see your hand,
Since the fallen walls took away the sunlight.
I shall never see your gentle eyes.

Move on, my child,
The road ahead has no worries,
No books that you can't finish, nor dad's complaints.
You must remember dad's face and mine,
In the next life, we shall be together again.

Don't worry, mom,
The road to Heaven is crowded, there are my classmates and pals.
Don't cry, we all say
Anyone's mom is our mom.
Mom, every child has a mom.
In the days without me,
Give your love to other children.
Mom, mom, don't cry.
Tears won't shed light on our path.
Let us go away.
I'll remember your face and dad's looks.
Let's promise,
In the next life, we'll be together again.

•  from the New York Times and MySpace.China pages