"Writing the Events of a Winter Day"

This year the first month,
the days aren’t warm;
When cold hits the village
what do people do?

Idly
Hearing a woodpecker –
Is a monk at the door
Begging?
Crossed with snow,
The pine tint deepens;
Carrying ice,
A creek crashes harsh.

I chant a poem
And turn to silent sitting:
too lazy to answer
The kid’s question.

- Wei Ye

(A Drifting Boat, trans Paul Hansen)