一　 茶
於是我知道
什麼叫做一杯茶的時間

在擁擠嘈雜的車站大樓
等候逾時未至的那人
在冬日的苦寒中出現
一杯小心端過來的，滿滿的
熱茶
小心地加上糖，加上奶
輕輕攪拌
輕輕啜飲

你隨手翻開行囊中
那本短小的一茶俳句集：
「露珠的世界；然而
在露珠裡－－－　 爭吵……」
這嘈雜的車站是露珠裡的
露珠，滴在
愈飲愈深的奶茶裡

一杯茶
由熱而溫而涼
一些心事
由詩而夢而人生

如果在古代－－－
在章回小說或武俠小說的
世界－－－
那是在一盞茶的工夫
俠客拔刀殲滅圍襲的惡徒
英雄銷魂顛倒於美人帳前

而時間在現代變了速
約莫過了半盞茶的工夫
你已經喝光一杯金香奶茶
一杯茶
由近而遠而虛無
久候的那人姍姍來到
問你要不要再來一杯茶

一九九三．十二

——————————————————————————–

A Cup of Tea

And then I know
what the time for a cup of tea means.

I waited in the crowded and noisy station building
for the one who was late for the appointment
to appear on the bitterly cold winter day.
I carefully held a full cup of
hot tea,
carefully added to it sugar and milk,
stirring gently,
sipping gently.

You casually opened the slim collection
of Issa’s haiku that you had in your luggage:
‘A world of dew; yet
within the dewdrops－－－　　 quarrels…’
This crowded station was a dewdrop within
a dewdrop, dropped
in the tea deeper with every sip.

A cup of tea,
at first hot, turned warm, and then cold.
Things on my mind
ranged from poetry to dreams to reality.

In ancient times－－－
in the world of Chinese serial novels or
tales of chivalry－－－
it would be the time for a cup of tea,
in which a swordsman drew his sword wiping out the besieging rascals,
and a hero was enraptured and enchanted before the bed of a fair lady.

But modern time has changed its speed.
Within about the time for half a cup of tea,
you drank up a cup of golden fragrant tea.
A cup of tea
going from far to near and then into nothingness.
The one for whom you had waited long finally appeared
and asked if you would like one more cup of tea.

1993.12

　 Translator’s note: The Chinese title of this poem is the name of the Japanese haiku master Issa (1763-
1827), which means ‘a cup of tea’ or ‘a single bubble in steeping tea’.