Frontier Taiwan: AN ANTHOLOGY OF MODERN CHINESE POETRY Edited by Michelle Yeh and N.G.D. Malmqvist COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PRESS Frontier Taiwan modernchineseliteraturefromtaiwan Modern Chinese Literature from Taiwan Editorial Board Pang-yuanChi Go¨ranMalmqvist DavidDer-weiWang,Coordinator WangChen-ho,Rose,Rose,ILoveYou ChengCh’ing-wen,Three-LeggedHorse ChuT’ien-wen,NotesofaDesolateMan HsiaoLi-hung,AThousandMoonsonaThousandRivers ChangTa-chun,WildKids:TwoNovelsAboutGrowingUp Frontier Taiwan An Anthology of Modern Chinese Poetry Edited by Michelle Yeh and N.G.D. Malmqvist columbiauniversitypress new york ColumbiaUniversityPresswishestoexpressitsappreciationforassistancegivenbytheChiang Ching-kuoFoundationforInternationalScholarlyExchangeinthepreparationofthe translationandinthepublicationofthisseries. ColumbiaUniversityPresswishestoexpressitsappreciationforassistancegivenbythe PushkinFundtowardthecostofpublishingthisbook. ColumbiaUniversityPress PublishersSince1893 NewYorkChichester,WestSussex Copyright(cid:1)2000ColumbiaUniversityPress Allrightsreserved LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData FrontierTaiwan:ananthologyofmodernChinesepoetry/editedbyMichelleYehand N.G.D.Malmqvist. p.cm.—(ModernChineseliteraturefromTaiwan) Includesbibliographicalreferences. ISBN0–231–11846–5—ISBN0–231–11847–3(pbk.) 1.Chinesepoetry—Taiwan—TranslationsintoEnglish.2.Chinesepoetry—20thcentury.I. Title:AnthologyofmodernChinesepoetry.II.Yeh,MichelleMi-Hsi.III.Malmqvist, N.G.D.(NilsGo¨ranDavid),1924–IV.Series. PL2658.E3F742001 895.1’15080951249—dc21 00–024121 A CaseboundeditionsofColumbiaUniversityPressbooksareprintedonpermanentand durableacid-freepaper. PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica c 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 p 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 contents Preface xiii Acknowledgments xv NoteonTranslation xvii MapofTaiwan xx Frontier Taiwan: An Introduction 1 Yang Hua (1906–36) 55 BlackTide(sevenselections)/Heartstrings(twoselections)/ TawnyCottages/SadSongoftheFemaleWorker Yang Chichang (1908–94) 59 RougeandLips/TheNun/BurningCheeks/ VeinsandButterflies/AutumnSea/Travelogue/PaleSong/ RuinedCity/LoveSong/SeaofFlowers Qin Zihao (1912–63) 66 DesertWind/Remembering/Seashells(I)/ Gallery/BlackNarcissus/Hair/Seashells(II) vi contents Ji Xian (1913– ) 72 CityinFlames/TotheMaybeMan/SongofTimeNo.2/ MyPagoda-ShapedPlan/Star-PluckingYouth/DogHowlingattheMoon/ SevenandSix/CompositioninaWindow/MyVoiceandMyExistence/ Painter’sStudio/WineDrinker/PsychoanalysisofPipeSmoking/ UnfinishedMasterpiece/DeathofAphrodite/Type-BBlood/ BeforeCompletion.One/BirdVariations Chen Xiuxi (1921–91) 83 GraveSweepingThisYear/Love/Taiwan/ MyPen/MaybeIt’stheWeightofaPoem Zhan Bing (1921– ) 87 Affair/May/PlantingRiceSprouts/LiquidMorning/ Seven-ColoredTime/LiquidFlowsIntotheCupoftheHeart Zhou Mengdie (1921– ) 92 Caltrops/DiaryofaBeliever/Mendicant/Prisoner/ NineLines/OntheFerry/TwelfthMonth/ SixthMonth/Mountain/Polydactylism Huan Fu (1922– ) 103 WalkingintheRain/Forest/CarrierPigeon/WildDeer/ExcuseMy Rudeness/FindanHonorificforMosquitos/Shadow/Incident Lin Hengtai (1924– ) 110 Philosopher/Books/LandscapeNo.1/ LandscapeNo.2/Traces(1–8) Du Pan Fangge (1927– ) 116 Rebirth/PaperPeople/BeyondtheMulberryTree/ UnderthePomeloTree/Womb Luo Fu (1928– ) 119 Chimney/DeathofaStoneCell(fourselections)/ BeyondtheFog/Fish/GoldDragonTemple/ TheWoundofTime/SharingaDrinkwithLiHe/BecauseoftheWind/ TheCricket’sSong/MetaphysicalGame/MailingaPairofShoes/ Contents vii BeijingSycamores/FuneralforaPoem/ IBuyanUmbrellaJusttoLoseIt/SilentPumpkin Luo Men (1928– ) 135 TheFourStringsoftheViolin/Shrapnel—Tron’sMissingLeg/ Window/AWildHorse/WhereLightLives/ RunningAway/TheOldManSellingFlowerPots/ TheCity—SquareExistence/Umbrella/YearsofPoetry/ ReadjustmentofTwentieth-CenturySpaceforExistence/ WhoCouldPurchasetheHorizon? Rongzi (1928– ) 144 ToMorning/NoMoreBlossomsFlyinOurCity/AGreenLotus/ Umbrella/WhenAllLivingCreaturesGoBy/TheInsectWorld Xiang Ming (1928– ) 149 DawnatProsperityCorner/Tumor/Ivy/ TheSettingSunonManilaBay/Possible/RollingaSteelHoop Yu Guangzhong (1928– ) 154 WhenIAmDead/TheDoubleBed/GreenBristlegrass/ IfaWarIsRagingAfar/Nostalgia/WhenNightFalls/ TheCrystalPrison/ATaleontheHill/Evening/ TheSpiderwebs/ThePearlNecklace/ WhatIstheRainSayingThroughtheNight?/TheLangloisBridge Guan Guan (1929– ) 164 CousinRat/TheRavenousPrince/LongStreet/ TalkingAboutthe‘‘EmperorQianlongTripitaka, CarvedonKnot-FreeUnblemishedSlow-CuredBlocks fromPrimePearTreesFelledinWinter’’ Shang Qin (1930– ) 171 TheAnthill/TheLadder/TheMapleTree/TheGloves/ AFaun’sAfternoon/Giraffe/OverdrawnFootprints/Pigeons/ TheDog/TheMosquito/ElectricLock/Moonlight/ TheCatWhoWalksThroughtheWall/ Snow/Rooster/RailroadCrossing viii contents Zhang Mo (1931– ) 186 ASongwithNoMelody/IAmaGlassofUnlimitedVolume/ OdetoaShabbyRoom/ShaketheHead,WagtheTail: ASeven-storiedPagoda/TheFuture:FourVersions Ya Xian (1932– ) 190 Umbrella/ShrineoftheVillageGod/FuneralParlor/ TheMountainGod/Babylon/SpringDay/ TheBuckwheatField/ShipRats/TheBeggar/ RedCorn/Salt/Florence/TheMonastery/ Abyss/TheCatholicNun/TheColonel/ Diva/Andantecantabile/Courtyard/ SongoftheOrdinary/ResurrectionDay Xin Yu (1933– ) 211 TheSongoftheSoil/TheZanzibarLion/ALeopard/ SeenatShunxingTeahouse/TheSpeechofStones Zheng Chouyu (1933– ) 217 LifeintheMountains/Mistake/InDreamland/ WateryLane/BuddhistChant/Skylight/ StoppingataMinorStation/StillLife/Morning/ Afternoon/PureClarity/BorderInn/ TheTempleBull/GuestsofSnow Bai Qiu (1937– ) 225 Armchair/Sky/Cry/Weight/ Geese/Canary/Vine/ TheSquare/SilentGecko Ye Weilian (1937– ) 231 Fugue/PastichesfromTaiwanCountryside(fourselections)/ Quest/TravelinginSpring Lin Ling (1938– ) 239 AftertheShowIsOver/TheManWhoKnockedattheOutpost/ NonmodernistLyricism/ForLinLing/ TwoorThreeHomeRepairsinSpring Contents ix Xiong Hong (1940– ) 245 ThinkingwithFire/DarkAssociations/ I’mAlreadyonMyWaytoYou/Jar/Ripples/Life Yang Mu (1940– ) 250 News/Footsteps/FlowingRiver/IntheMidnightCornfield/ Screen/TheSecondRenunciation/FloatingFireflies/ Etudes:TheTwelveEarthlyBranches/LettheWindRecite/ Zeelandia/Solitude/ForbiddenGame(1–4)/ SomeoneAsksMeAboutJusticeandRighteousness/FrostatMidnight/ ForNoReason/TheTraveler’sHeart:AVariation/ ThePropositionofTime/ATale/Solitude,1910 Zhang Cuo (1943– ) 279 AutumnReminiscence/TheDistanceofWinter/ WordsofaGooseCatcher/InImitationoftheAncients/ TheSecretGarden Wu Sheng (1994– ) 285 RiceStraw/RainySeason/PrefacetoVignettesofMyVillage/ TheLand/AnimalSpiritTablet/IntheWoodsofaForeignCountry/ IWon’tDiscussItwithYou/TheWorstThingAboutWritingPoetry Li Minyong (1947– ) 292 MementooftheDeceased/PrisonerofWar/AspirationofPoetry/ TiltingIsland/DeathReport/ReadingPoemsonaLate-NightAirliner Luo Qing (1948– ) 298 TheInvisibleMan/Heaven’sRevenge/TheAvengingGhost/OnceMore LookingoutattheDeepBlueSeaAfterLookingoutattheDeepBlueSea ManyTimesBefore/Co´rdoba/IRefuse/PleaseJustWink/Quatrain Su Shaolian (1949– ) 310 Beast/PeelingaPear/Photocopier/MixedBlood/ShadowBurial/ SleepDeeply,Shore/ThatHorseLikeMoonlight Jian Zhengzhen (1950– ) 316 Secret/OntheGreatWall/Memory/ReadingaLetter