exile 179There is no simple equation of poetry with exile. For one thing, not all
(physical) exiles write poetry. Yet, the metatextual association of exile
and poetry is clear, with exile as a state of mind that can contribute to
poetry, or as an overarching framework for non-mainstream poethood
in the PRC—and, for (modern) poethood at large. In Bei Dao’s case,
in addition to these things, the expression of exile in the actual texts
of his poetry has consistently been a feature of his art, starting long
before his life in physical exile. To isolate inner exile from the writer’s
experience in Spalek and Bell’s terms—that is, the experience of physi-
cal exile as a literary determinant—the first place to look would be
in works written before the writer settles abroad. As it turns out, for
the notion of (inner) exile, Bei Dao’s poetry from before June Fourth
contains declarative moments too, just like his later work. One of the
most straightforward occurs in «To the world....» (ᇍѢϪ⬠....). This
poem’s inclusion in The August Sleepwalker helps explain some of Owen’s
bafflement in his review:^75
To the world
I am an eternal stranger
I do not understand its language
it does not understand my silence
what we exchange
is mere disdain
as if meeting in a mirror
To myself
I am an eternal stranger
I dread the darkness
but use my body to obstruct
that one and only lamp
my shadow is my lover
my heart the enemyThe text bears little commentary, inasmuch as it arguably is commen-
tary itself—poetical or otherwise—and employs words such as world,
and 2002a: 10. Commentaries that link avant-garde poethood or literary eccentric-
ity in the PRC to (inner) exile include Yip 1985: 121, Lee (Leo Ou-fan) 1991: 219-
221, Yeh 1993b, Lee (Gregory) 1996: 128, Zhang Zao 1999: 9, 22 and Yiping 2003:
144.
(^75) Bei Dao 1987: 148 and 2003b: 111, without stanza division; not in 2003a.