Ouyang Yu
The Double Man
my name is
a crystallisation of two cultures
my surname is china
my given name australia
if i translate that direct into english
my surname becomes australia
my given name china
i do not know what motherland means
i possess two countries
or else
i possess neither
my motherland is my past
my motherland is my present
my past motherland is my past
my present motherland is my present
when i go to china
i say i'm returning to my home country
when i go to australia
i say i'm returning to my home country
wherever i go
it is with a heart tinged in two colours
although there is han jian in chinese
there isn't ao jian in english
i write in chinese
like australians do in english
our motherlands have one thing in common:
they've both lost M
i have nullified my home
i have set up a home
in two hundred years' time
i shall be the father of the double man
Note: han jian: Chinese traitor; ao jian: Australian traitor.