Declaration
Note from The Feline Warrior: This poem is by Mr. Bei Dao, translated by Dr. Bonnie S. McDougall and published in 1990 by New Directions Publishing Corporation in The August Sleepwalker. The original author, translator and publisher retain copyright over this poem. Everything here is reposted as-is.
The poem was originally dedicated by its author to Mr. Yu Luoke, a free thinker and brave man imprisoned in 1968 and executed two years thereafter. I am reposting the poem to re-dedicate it to Mr. Ruan Xiaohuan (better known by his online pseudonym “Program-Think”), another free thinker and brave man who “disappeared” in 2021 and is recently reported to have been imprisoned.
Perhaps the final hour is come I have left no testament Only a pen, for my mother I am no hero In an age without heroes I just want to be a man
The still horizon Divides the ranks of the living and the dead I can only choose the sky I will not kneel on the ground Allowing the executioners to look tall The better to obstruct the wind of freedom
From star-like bullet holes shall flow A blood-red dawn
也許最後的時刻到了 我沒有留下遺囑 只留下筆，給我的母親 我並不是英雄 在沒有英雄的年代裏， 我只想做一個人。 寧靜的地平線 分開了生者和死者的行列 我只能選擇天空 決不跪在地上 以顯出劊子手們的高大 好阻擋自由的風 從星星的彈孔中 將流出血紅的黎明 北島『宣告——獻給遇羅克』