Liu Shikun's Hands Poem by Knuts Skujenieks

This story is short.
They broke the hands
Of the pianist.

Broke them
In the name of World Revolution
And for the sake of a Bright Future.

They say,
If gods are to be fed
There must be a sacrifice.

And the pianist's
Broken hands
The only proof of loyalty
If a human can ever pledge loyalty
To a voracious god.

Even though I'm not
Either Chinese
Our the pianist
Liu Shikun,
I know a thing our two
About idols
And idoltry.

Translated by: Margita Gailītis, 'Latvian literature", Latvijas Literatūras centrs