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Selected Poems

By Gu Cheng
Edited by Seán Golden and Chu Chiyu

1990; 1996
182 pages
ISBN 962-7255-05-X

Order

Table of Contents

Preface xi
An Autobiographical Montage xxi
Early Lyrics
One Generation 1
The Origin of Moon and Stars . Chimney 1
Nameless Flowers 2
A Fantasia to Life 3
An Ending 6
Developing 6
Shadow of Mountain 7
Ancient Site 7
Two Love Markets 8
A Snowman 9
At Parting 10
Don’t Say Anything Anymore, I’m not Going to Give in 13
Here We Cannot Get to Know Each Other 13
Twittering and Chattering Stillness 14
A Stare 15
For My Reserved Master Hans Andersen 16
Martydom 17
The Cliffs 18
Huadiao’s Apologia 19
Waterlands 21
A Small Lane 25
Child’s Play 25
Near and Far 26
Rite 26
Thatched Hut 27
Arc 27
A Split Pair 28
Curriculum Vitae 30
To a Null Star 30
Winter Day’s Longing 31
By the Edge of the Dream Sea 32
Evasion 32
See You Again 33
Final Farewell to a Graveyard 34
Solace 41
New Year’s Eve 41
Nostos I 42
Nostos II 43
Lacuna 44
The Land Rolls Off 44
Early Summer 45
Harvest 46
I’m an Obstinate Child 46
An Ancient War 49
My Graveyard 50
To My Deceased Grandmother 50
The Wind Stole Our Oar 52
In this Broad, Bright World 53
White Nights 54
A Yellow Mud Track in Winter 55
No More Goodbyes 56
Birthday 57
In the Calm Before the Storm 58
Antiphony of Ghostly Voices 59
I Can Breathe Like Green Grass 63
Ode to Spring 64
Overlapping Shadows 65
Sometimes I Really Wish 67
By the Door 68
Dream Garden 68
Old Times 69
The Coming 74
The Parted Sea 74
Images in Black and White 77
The Evening of Life 78
Pure Land 80
Poverty, the Tip of His Nose is Gold 81
Flowers of Morning 82
Confession 84
The Patterns of the Sea 84
Truly, This is the World 88
Distribution 89
Iron Bell 89
Stillness, a Man Falls from a Horse 94
The Bulin File
About Bulin 98
Bulin: Birth & Departure from the Country 99
Who’d Have Thought 101
Discovery 102
Bulin Met Bandit 104
Bulin’s Composition for the Professional Lullaby Composers’ Entrance Exam 105
Bulin’s Speech to the Nursery Supreme Council 106
Bulin’s Prayer: A Live Recording 106
The Bulin March 108
The Bulin Non-March 108
Agenda “0” 109
A Couplet 109
Bulin is Dead, It Seems 110
An Elegy 111
Bulin’s Last Will & Testament 111
A Eulogy World: A Poem Cycle
1. It is the Tree’s Capacity to Swim 112
2. A Prompt 112
3. Childhood 113
4. Adolescence 113
5. Ark 113
6. Sketch on Demand 114
7. A Painting Inside a Snuff Bottle 115
8. Campaign 116
9. Blank TV Screen 116
10. I am Still Collecting Golden Pipe Tobacco 117
11. Uprising 118
12. Vehicle 118
13. Source 118
14. Book Cover 119
15. Words 119
16. Narrative 119
17. Self 120
18. Right there, in that Small Village 120
19. Accomplice 121
20. Mid-Month 121
21. Early Riser 122
22. Misfortune Arrives as Expected 122
23. After the Air Raid 123
24. River Mouth 123
25. On the Road 124
26. Last Words of My Father 124
27. The Horizon Behind Us 125
28. A Certain River 126
29. The Same Moon 126
30. I Saw a Peacock 127
31. The World is a Stage 127
32. The Insomniac’s Night 128
33. The Riddle of Life and Death 129
34. The Megalopolis 130
35. A Small Rat 130
36. Looking for a Monk and Not Finding Him 131
37. A Letter 132
38. The Night of the Murdered Poets 133
39. The War Widow 134
40. The Sunflower 135
41. The Red Azalea 136
42. New Year’s Sacrifice 137
43. Thoughts on a Quiet Night 138
44. The Poet’s Death 139
45. The Snowy Morning 139
46. The Peacock Flies Southeast 140
47. The Grass 141
48. The Wall 142
Quicksilver: A Poem Cycle
1. Name 136
2. Eye 136
3. Bungalow 137
4. Stop 137
5. The Look of the Wind 138
6. Ink Brush 138
7. Red Wine 139
8. Curtain Pull 139
9. Scarlet 140
10. Heap 140
11. Going to School 141
12. The Sky is There Above 142
13. Accident 142
14. Trap Door 143
15. Wicker Vat 143
16. A Peck 144
17. As Clear as Can Be 144
18. Aid 145
19. Table 145
20. Wish 146
21. When the Time Comes 146
22. Physiognomy of the Scholar in Sackcloth 147
23. Not Many Birds are Left in the Village 148
24. The Things We Write 148
25. Time 149
26. The One in the Sun 149
27. Man 149
28. Or 150
29. Quicksilver 150
30. Yeah 150
31. Edge 152
32. Homework 153
33. I Give You Each a Knife 154
34. Warm Day 155
35. Tenebrous 156
36. Home. Home 156
37. Alumina 157
38. Smoking 158
39. Red Wheat 158
40. The Dharma Gate 159
41. Leo 160
42. Arrow 161
43. Telex 162
44. Thoroughfare 162
45. Solar Halo 163
46. Halfback 163
47. Deedledeedee 164
48. Lesser Spirit 167
Misty Mondō 168
Afterword 172
Translators 181