A THOUSAND LAYERS OF WHITE 白千層


	Winter 2006

CONTENTS

	BOTTLE 瓶 By Yin Dih 隱地 Translated by John J. S. BALCOM 陶忘機

	CHAIR 椅子 By CHANG Shiang Hua 張香華 Translated by John J. S. BALCOM 陶忘機

	THE COMING INTO BEING OF THIS EXISTENCE 這一生的發生 By CHEN I-chih 陳義芝 Translated by Chris Wen-Chao LI 李文肇

	A THOUSAND LAYERS OF WHITE 白千層 By CHU An-ming 初安民 Translated by John J. S. BALCOM 陶忘機

	LATE-BLOOMING OSMANTHUS 遲開的桂花 By WU Chin-fa 吳錦發 Translated by David and Ellen DETERDING 戴德巍與陳艷玲

	BUTTERFLIES SCREAM, CUT OFF THE EAR 蝴蝶尖叫，割下耳朵 By CHENG Ying-shu 成英姝 Translated by Patrick CARR 柯英華

	ONE HECK OF A PASSAGE 「一」關難渡 By Pan Jen-mu 潘人木 Translated by YU Yu-san 余幼珊

	SISTER SUNNY 晴姊 By D. J. LIU 劉大任 Translated by Danny H. LIN 林心嶽

	LI CHIAPAO 李家寶 By CHU Tien-hsin 朱天心 Translated by Shou-Fang HU-MOORE 胡守芳

	FACE, BODY AND MIND— THE SCULPTURES OF CHEN CHENGHSIUNG 面相、身相與心相的刻鏤—陳正雄的雕刻藝術 By SHIH Jui-jen 石瑞仁 Translated by David van der Peet 范德培

	NEWS & EVENTS 文化活動 Compiled by Sarah Jen-hui HSIANG 項人慧

	NEW BOOKS BY OUR MEMBERS 會員新書

	NOTES ON AUTHORS AND TRANSLATORS 作者與譯者簡介 APPENDIX: CHINESE ORIGINALS 附錄：中文原著

	JOYOUS ARHAT 開喜羅漢, stout camphor wood, 68 × 85 × 50 cm, 2002...............COVER

	LOOKING HOMEWARD 望鄉, stout camphor wood, 68 × 42 × 38 cm, 2004...........................BACK COVER By CHEN Cheng-hsiung 陳正雄

CHU An-ming 初安民

A THOUSAND LAYERS OF WHITE
白千層*

Translated by John J. S. BALCOM 陶忘機

I’m not sure
What sort of patience or stamina
Was needed to pile up the white
From the first to the thousandth layer

From clear to that initial layer of white
From that first layer of white to the thousandth
Did perhaps countless colors
Contaminate that most easily injured white

Like waves of passion settling into still and quiet waters
Like a child novice seasoned into an old monk in deep
meditation
Desire and passion.
Struggle and compromise
Shake and sway in countless ways
Leg after leg of that arduous journey

Today
My quiet, fixed position is here
Quietly putting forth a small white blossom
Without saying a word
Without saying a word

*	From Ya Hsien 瘂弦ed. Tien-hsia shih-hsuan erh《天下詩選II》[ The Commonwealth collection of poems II ], Taipei: Commonwealth Publishing, 1999.