北島,原名趙振開,中國當代詩人,為朦朧詩代表人物之一。先后獲瑞典筆會文學獎、美國西部筆會中心自由寫作獎、古根海姆獎學金等,并被選為美國藝術文學院終身榮譽院士。
他的詩刺穿了烏托邦的虛偽,呈現出了世界的本來面目。一句“我不相信”的吶喊,震醒了茫茫黑夜酣睡的人們。清醒的思辨與直覺思維產生的隱喻、象征意象相結合,是北島詩顯著的藝術特征,具有高度概括力的悖論式警句,造成了北島詩獨有的振聾發聵的藝術力量。代表作:《回答》、《結局或開始》、《一切》。

Answers — Bei Dao
回答——北島
Cruelty is the ID pass of the cruel,
卑鄙是卑鄙者的通行證,
honesty the grave stone of the honest.
高尚是高尚者的墓志銘,
Look, in the sky plated gold,
看吧,在那鍍金的天空中,
crooked reflections of all the dead float around.
飄滿了死者彎曲的倒影。
The glacial epoch is over,
冰川紀過去了,
so why is there ice everywhere?
為什么到處都是冰凌?
Good Hope was rounded a long time ago,
好望角發現了,
so where are these thousands of boats racing on the Dead Sea?
為什么死海里千帆相競?
I came into this world
我來到這個世界上,
with only blank pages, rope and my fingers;
只帶著紙、繩索和身影,
therefore, before final judgements are given,
為了在審判之前,
I need to speak in all the voices of the defendants.
宣讀那些被判決的聲音。
Just let me say, world,
告訴你吧,世界
I—don't—believe!
我——不——相——信!
If a thousand challengers are under your feet
縱使你腳下有一千名挑戰者,
count me as challenger one-thousand-and-one.
那就把我算作第一千零一名。
I don't believe the sky is always blue;
我不相信天是藍的,
I don't believe it was thunder echoing;
我不相信雷的回聲,
I don't believe all dreaming is false;
我不相信夢是假的,
I don't believe the dead cannot bring judgement.
我不相信死無報應。
If the sea is doomed someday to break its levees
如果海洋注定要決堤,
my heart must flood with all the bitter waters.
就讓所有的苦水都注入我心中,
If the land is destined to form the hills again,
如果陸地注定要上升,
let real human beings learn to choose the higher ground.
就讓人類重新選擇生存的峰頂。
The latest, favorable turnings, the twinkling stars
新的轉機和閃閃星斗,
studding the naked sky,
正在綴滿沒有遮攔的天空。
are pictographs five-thousand years old.
那是五千年的象形文字,
They are the eyes of the future staring at us now.
那是未來人們凝視的眼睛。