Ye Kuangzheng: We're All Dummies

This is my English translation of a Chinese poem 「我們都是木頭人」 by Mr Ye Kuangzheng (葉匡政). The term dummy in my view is referring to all the people who live without basic freedom and human rights in a tyranny state, really sad indeed, and also those who live without social conscience in the free world.

It’s a rather long poem, and my audio reading has to be cut short to within 5MB in size. The subtitle is added by the translator. Yiyan HAN (c) 2020-12-31

We're all dummies
Not allowed to speak nor smile
Not even allowed to move
So our hair gradually turn grey
Skin darker, and wrinkles more and more
We've walked into the winter of life
And the sky turns dark, faster and faster
My friends, and my brothers
Eventually depart, further and further
And all the left now are strangers
We bow our heads, like kids to be punished
The bloodshed on this land
Has only produced the dummies

We're all dummies
This is the image of our real life
By counting heads, they know we're still live
Watching us eat, they make sure
The dummies are obedient
That's really what they think

We're all dummies
I'm a dummy, so is my wife
My kids will be dummies when grown up
Why do we keep in this silly human body shape
Why do we exercise, doing cartwheel and handstand
Why do we grow up
That's my understanding of life and its reciprocation

We're all dummies
That's why we still live here
Oh please crawl, beg, and be mildewed
What's the use if having baby soft skin
What's the use if having red bud lips
What's the use if having black sparkling eyes
What's the use if having well built biceps and pecs
Or firm prominent bosoms

We're all dummies
Buried at 20, reduced to skeletons at 30
All those older than 40, wandering in this part of the world
Are mummies and vampires
Oh yes, you're live, and still have dreams
You still have three days to reach your destination
Your two hands ain't yet tied up
You can still be betrayal and lying
Oh look at these monsters
What can they do, except breeding
Come to see the spines formed by fear
Come to see the brains shrunk by control
We're all dummies, choose now please

Oh choose, we're all dummies
Only death can terminate this existence
Dummies that cry for help
Dummies that died in poverty
Dummies that are tired of their life's burden
Dummies that are swallowed by greed
The song a dummy can sing is always sad
Oh choose! Dummies, choose the difference

Oh choose! Dummies, let the wood burn
And let this gang of liars expose themselves
Let's burn their doctrines
Let's burn their brainwashing papers and textbooks
Let's burn their lies and all the liars
Oh look, we ourselves are also smouldering
This is a gala for every dummy
I must be awake to see the end
I must continue working, I should

I must succeed in getting everyone's help
Make wood return to wood, and let human be human
But you don't believe this is for real
O dummy, you've got a kind heart
O dummy, you've got terminal illness

We're all dummies
Not allowed to speak nor smile
Not even allowed to move
⸺ Even if I die, I'd rather walk on road like a human

Footnote:

• A full video recording of this is on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcKmVuQp8Zk