Rendition by Kong Shiu Loon
INTRODUCTION
Poem Power
…John Turner, S.J. said in his Golden Treasure of Chinese Poetry, Chinese poetry is “the high artistic peak of the most literary, the most artistic, and the longest-established civilization that exists.”…
The Heritage
The earliest anthology of Chinese literature is the Book of Poetry compiled in the Sixth Century B.C. …
In 1953 the World Peace Council held an elaborate event to commemorate “the four greatest cultural figures in history to be remembered by the world”. Qu Yuan was one of the four. Since then, his poems had been translated into no less than fourteen languages. He became a poet of the world…
The Golden Era
The Tang and Song dynasties are the golden ages in Chinese history, with the greatest inventions, the fearless opening of the mind, and the most imaginative poetic and artistic expressions. …
Timeless Wisdom
Traditional Chinese poets all shared a unique understanding and outlook of life and the universe. In it heaven, earth and man are one, interdependent and mutually respectful…
…Chinese poets often communicate in transcendental ways, probably influenced by Zen Buddhism and the concepts of Laozi and Zhongzi, equating have to have-not, exalting the power of silence and space.
For the 21 Century
For readers like the lucky Wahyanites who know both Chinese and English, seeing the poems juxtaposed in two languages may help to inspire a deeper appreciation of their beauty and powers.
To read the rendition and the full Introduction, please click here.