Last night I cried listening to this poem about the Sichuan earthquake from a Chinese poet. You can hear it in Chinese, read by the poet himself, here. When it works, I think the Chinese have some of the most eloquent and simple poetry. The last image in this poem just breaks my heart.
Thousands upon thousands of anguished cries
Returning to silence and tranquillity
Heavenly acts cannot be predicted
The moon over Wenchuan
Still, a question mark
Aftershocks extend to Chengdu
Sorrow engulfs half the world
Tears turn to ice
Let candlelight melt them away
Children, climb on a dandelion
and line up for heaven
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2 comments:
Agreed – heartbreaking eloquence for a shattering tragedy. Thank you for sharing it here.
Personally, I'm an atheist, but somehow, the most appropriate response (to that poem, et al.) seems to be simply: "Amen. Shalom. As-salaamu Alaikum."
the imagery of the children atop a dandilion, the smallest part of nature as ascension to heaven, that is really gorgeous, wow.
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