New Perspectives on Contemporary Chinese Poetry

(Chris Devlin) #1

In the dim light
I felt the rhythm of the train turn
to the right
And float into
A deeper spot in the darkness
(Person of Inferior Health&健(者)


The penname effectively hides the name of the author and there is a
gradual, indirect approach to the subject—still a necessity in the cur-
rent political environment. The massacres on June 3 and 4, 1989, in
Beijing and Chengdu remain the most sensitive subject matter for
poetry in China, while the Cultural Revolution, Mao Zedong, and
Marx, for example, are increasingly popular subjects.
Another aspect of this “Low” style of poetry is increasingly topical
approaches to politics, as demonstrated by the following:


Chairman Hu’s Speech Stirs Hearts *w+的,-|.


When the curtain of night descends /ì 08 垂d来,
And birds are sweetly falling asleep, 234要55睡6,
In my home, I watch television, 在我的Ë, 我7电9节;,
And together with me, <我在=的,
Is my friend. ́我的>Ó。
At seven o’clock, the news starts, ?@的候, `B½îG,
And we’re still talking 我DC在D-。


.... 。。。。


I like Chairman Hu’s words 我EF*w+的-,
The speech of politicians is GHË的I…, 却JKLM,
unusually staunch, N有O爱的QR,
Rich in benevolent thought, STU 5 Vw的WX。
Displaying the talents of wise D文化的i要, y需要[\,
rulers. [\<<]的关_。
He speaks of the importance of D ¡~的a~, culture, of people having greater ~的bc。
need of spirit, 我7d2文化a~者,
Of the relationship between the 7d2e f领h,
spirit and harmony. 7dDi肃的\态,
He speaks of the work of the 我{到`N的lmG,
Chinese Writers Association, 我. 的Fn在op着。
The mission of the Writers 我RD: ɦq的rm,
Association. ‚天J+s!G,
I see a multitude of cultural 我D ́tu的?,
workers vw°Cxy,
A multitude of Party leaders, ‚天W{到G关怀。


208 Michael Day

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