Headlights (Zhu Zhu)

by Zhu Zhu (translated by Denis Mair) Returning late one night Headlight beams ahead Measure the land like a ruler. My car's spinning tires Face the hugeness of that black backdrop. The ruler is short, needs to take it in sections, Which makes me like a tailor Taking note of places I pass. On the parts already measured, darkness falls anew Smoothing out imprints of hand and ruler. A perfect tailor keeps the sections in mind An imperfect tailor's mind gets scrambled, Needs to go over the same ground, And I am the imperfect one, just an apprentice Scolded for failing to get the simplest things right; At least my clumsiness attempts something genuine.