The Red Horse from My Destiny

by Yuan Xin
     trs. by Wang Ping

I’ve been waiting for you, red horse from my destiny
Your dark eyes sparkling with emotions
Dawn and dusk melt your golden wings
Your blood comes from love and its destruction
Your mane and light from the heart’s window

No neighing can hold you back
I sing from the two strings on my horse-head violin
One for despair, the other for hope
I’m the Mother, tied to the Earth
I see you, give you my life, tend your wounds
But I can’t fly with you to touch the unknown land

How can I warn you about the unknown
Your flying hooves churn dust into lightening wheels
Ignoring the tiny lives under your feet
You place yourself in front of the battle
A smile on your face, serenity behind closed lips

I love your lips, closed
A hint of mustache above, mouth corners lifting
Like a child new to the world, under Mother’s watch
She let you run wild in your youth
On the infinite grassland
Till you reach the mystery of sky, thunder, stars, clouds

I let go the rope
A wild horse needs to live on wild grassland
I’m not the grass, or the land
I’m a mountain fixed to the ground
Guarding the home where you take off

I’ve passed many seasons, alone
Getting food and spirits ready
For the day you reach your destiny