This poem is reminiscent of the classical theme of visiting a temple
such as in Chang Jian’s |} (fl. 749)“A Buddhist Retreat Behind
Broken-Mountain Temple” 破[h©g院.
By the time his award-winning Wound of Time時間oappeared
in 1981, Luo Fu’s life was firmly rooted in Taiwan; there did not seem
much chance of ever going home. He had retired from the military and
was aging. More grounded in tradition, he sought a balance between
the modern and the traditional; excerpts from the title poem cycle
illustrate this:
2
A raincoat from before the war
hangs behind the door
A discharge order in the pocket
The night-blooming cereus on the balcony
Blossoms in vain for one night
The wound of time continues festering
So serious
It cannot be cured even by chanting a
few lines of the dharani mantra
6
At times I vent my anger before
the mirror
If only
All lights in the city were extinguished
I’d never find my face there again
I shatter the glass with my fist
Blood oozes out
7
We sang war songs on the
boulevards that year
Heads high, chins up, we
proudly entered history
We were stirred to the quick
Like water
Dripping on a red-hot iron
The names on our khaki uniforms
Were louder than a rifle shot
But today, hearing the bugle from
the barracks nearby
I suddenly rose, straightened
my clothes
Then sat down again, dejected
Softly keeping time with the beat
76 John Balcom
2
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