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Island 41

牢籠躍入出無能
無任傷悲血淚橫
精衛啣砂填夙恨
征鴻訴月哀頻生
子卿絕域誰憐問
阮籍途窮空哭德
芳草幽蘭怨凋落
那時方得任升騰

台邑李鏡波題

After leaping into prison, I cannot come out.
From endless sorrows, tears and blood streak.
The jingwei bird carries gravel to fill its old grudge.
The migrating wild goose complains to the moon, mourning his harried life.
When Ziqing was in distant lands, who pitied and inquired after him?
When Ruan Ji reached the end of the road, he shed futile tears.
The scented grass and hidden orchids complain of withering and falling.
When may I be allowed to soar at my own pleasing?

By Lee Gengbo of Toishan

Listen to the poem in Toishanese ⏯

Translations:
Lai, H. Mark, Genny Lim, and Judy Yung, eds. Island: Poetry and History of Chinese Immigrants on Angel Island, 1910-1940. Second edition. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2014.