Reconnaître
I want to remember the way back.
It seems Orion has the compass’ foot,
Swinging his other leg out into the dark
With the confidence of a man who walks on stars.
I use the skills of the corncrake tonight.
I need to remember in the hatchling hour, that I was here, –
Under this weight of milk white galaxies,
Unable to lose my way, – still, – under this same star.
25th January 2011
Poetry by Helen Pletts
Chinese Translation by Ma Yongbo
辨认
我要记住回去的路。
猎户座似乎有指南针的脚，
他把另一条腿迈入黑暗
以漫步在群星之上的自信。
今晚我要运用秧鸡的技巧。
我要记住孵化的时刻，我曾在这里，
在乳白色星系的重量之下，
我依然不会迷路，在这同一颗星星之下。
2011年1月25日
Graphic Illustration by Romit Berger
Romit Berger : ‘I am a graphic designer. I met my very dear friend, Helen Pletts, in Prague, several years ago. Helen’s inspiration has led my graphic design career into that magical realm which combines illustration and poetry, and our creative wings continue to connect our souls through time and distance.’ https://www.facebook.com/romit.berger?
Ma Yongbo @mayongbopoetry 马永波 has 7 poetry collections. Chinese scholar, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, focused on translating and teaching Anglo-American poetry and prose including Dickinson, Whitman, Stevens, Pound, Williams and Ashbery. His translation of Moby Dick, has sold over half a million copies. Collected Poems of Mǎ Yongbo (four volumes, Eastern Publishing Centre, 2024) comprising 1178 poems, celebrate 40 years of writing poetry.马永波出生于1964年，已出版了7本诗集。他是一位专注于翻译和教授英美诗歌和散文的中国学者，包括狄金森、惠特曼、史蒂文斯、庞德、威廉斯和阿什贝利的作品。他翻译的《白鲸》销量已超过50
册。他在南京理工大学任教。《马永波诗歌总集》（四卷本，东方出版中心，2024年）共收录1600首诗，庆祝他诗学探索40周年。
Helen Pletts: (www.helenpletts.com) @helen.pletts Shortlisted 4 times for Bridport Poetry Prize 2018, 2019, 2022 and 2023, twice longlisted for The Rialto Nature & Place 2018 and 2022, longlisted for the Ginkgo Prize 2019, longlisted for The National Poetry Competition 2022. 2nd prize Plaza Prose Poetry 2022-23. Shortlisted Plaza Prose Poetry 2023-24. Working closely with Mǎ Yongbo since Feb 2024.
The original Pletts / Berger Word & Image was published on IS&T in November 2017.