那拉提草原

——蒙古语意：“有太阳的地方”

那年行军，
昼夜风雪弥漫。
饥饿，疲乏，寒冷，
眼前不见一丈远，
手脚失了知觉——
不知白天黑夜，
不知方向，
不知……
有没有明天。

那拉提……
那拉提……
远方微弱断续的呼唤
慢慢渗入意识。
眼前浮现——
莽莽草原，流水淙淙。
云开，日出。
——果真有，
有太阳的地方。

那时的你，
在空中草原纵马奔驰——
轻盈，热情，风情万千，
游戏在绿草茵茵、牛羊成群之间，
说着阳光、花粉与蜜的故事。
远处，雪山耸立，云雾缭绕；
而我们沉醉在
峰上的云，花间的小路，山口的风——
那些忘忧的日子。

今昔的我，
依恋那年一起见过的夏天。
你细水长流，我策马而过，
花开时相遇，蜜满时分离。
你酿一整年的蜜，
在等一个走失的牧人，
翻越更多的山口。
是短暂的相遇，
也是一生的错过。

c.h.e.f andy

注：

1 据传，成吉思汗西征时，部队翻越雪山，长时间在风雪中跋涉，身心俱疲。当他们终于抵达伊犁河谷、看到草原的一刻，正是旭日初升，阳光透过云层洒在草原上，于是便称此地为“那拉提”——象征着希望与重生。

2 漂泊的牧羊人和守候的养蜂女的故事

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published on 20.5.2025

see my English translation 👇🏻

那拉提草原 Natali Grassland

—In Mongolian: “The Place Where There Is Sunlight”

That year, we marched
through days and nights of blizzards.
Hunger, exhaustion, bitter cold—
we couldn’t see a few feet ahead,
our hands and feet numb—
we couldn’t tell day from night,
couldn’t find direction,
couldn’t tell…
if there would be a tomorrow.

Nalati…
Nalati…
A faint, intermittent call
echoed from the distance,
slowly seeping into consciousness.
And then appeared before us—
endless grasslands, murmuring streams.
The clouds parted. The sun rose.
Could it be true—
a place where there is sunlight?

Back then,
you galloped across the sky-high plains—
light, radiant, full of grace,
playing among lush grasses and herds of cattle and sheep,
telling stories of sunshine, pollen, and honey.
In the distance, snow mountains stood tall, veiled in clouds and fog;
and we were entranced by
clouds atop peaks, flower-hidden trails, the wind at the pass—
those carefree days.

Now,
I cling to that summer we once saw together.
You are always there – a steady stream, I am a horse riding past.
We met when the flowers bloomed, and parted when the honey’s full.
You brewed a year of honey,
waiting for a lost herdsman
to cross even more mountain passes.
A brief encounter—
a miss of a lifetime.

P.S.

1. According to legend, during Genghis Khan’s westward expedition, his army crossed snow-covered mountains and endured long treks through blizzards, exhausted in both body and spirit. When they finally reached the Ili River Valley and saw the grasslands, it was at the very moment of sunrise—sunlight breaking through the clouds and shining upon the plain. They named the place “Nalati,” meaning “the place where there is sunlight,” as a symbol of hope and rebirth.

2. The story of the wandering shepherd and the awaiting beekeeper.