Fighting words

Monologues from As the light goes out

On a fire site, the biggest terror is in the thick smoke. You have no idea where danger lurks. With only the sound of your breath in the darkness, it is like entering a ghost town. No matter how many comrades you have, ready to stick together through thick and thin, you will face your demons, alone in the dark.

Huǒchǎng zuì kǒngbù de dìfang, jiùshì zài nóngyān lǐmiàn. Nǐ yǒngyuǎn dōu bùzhīdào wēixiǎn zài nǎlǐ, zhǐnéng tīngdào zìjǐ de hūxīshēng hé yǎnqián de yí piàn qīhēi, jiù xiàng jìn le guǐchéng yíyàng. Wúlùn shēnbiān yǒu duōshǎo rén gēn nǐ gòngjìntuì, dàn zài hēi àn miànqián, nǐ zhǐnéng yí gèrén qù miànduì. Zài zhè gè shīhòu, nǐ xīnlǐ xiǎng shénme, jiù huì kàn dào shénme.

火场最恐怖的地方，就是在浓烟里面。你永远都不知道危险在哪里，只能听到自己的呼吸声和眼前的一片漆黑，就像进了鬼城一样。无论身边有多少人跟你共进退，但在黑暗面前，你只能一个人去面对。在这个时候，你心里想什么，就会看到什么。

We firefighters have our hearts wrapped in a thick smoke. We'd like to come out of it, but it's impossible - whether it's saving people or being saved. The only way is to live with the smoke. Even faced with darkness, we have to believe that the sun will shine through in the end. This is the only way to be fearless under any circumstances.

Wǒmen chūrù huǒchǎng de rén, nèixīn yǒngyuǎn bèi yì gǔ nóngyān bāoguǒ zhe. Yǐwéi kěyǐ zǒude chūlái, qīshí gēnběn bùkěnéng. Wúlùn shì jiùrén háishì bèijiù, dōushì yí yàng. Wéi yīde fāngfǎ jiùshì yǔ zhè gǔ nóngyān gòngcún. Jiùsuàn miànduì hēi àn, yěyào jiānxìn, yángguāng yídìng huì zhàoshè jìnlái, zhǐyǒu zhèyàng, zài miànduì rènhé huánjìng de shihòu, wǒmen cái huì wú suǒ wèijù.

我们出入火场的人，内心永远被一股浓烟包裹着。以为可以走得出来，其实根本不可能。无论是救人还是被救，都是一样。唯一的方法就是与这股浓烟共存。就算面对黑暗，也要坚信，阳光一定会照射进来，只有这样，在面对任何环境的时候，我们才会无所畏惧。

(China Daily Africa Weekly 08/29/2014 page27)