“An Imperialist Soldier’s Judgment Day”
when that fateful bullet struck you
turned instantly tragic forgetting
sharp pant-creases and military salutes
like a scaleless fish caught in a swamp
clutching the cool moist earth you writhe
soundlessly shouting to case off the pain
that wound welded into your body
a hundred times more real than a governor’s medal
the sluggish flame will keep burning
gnawing your soul into ruins
as stubborn as time
all the water in the world cannot stop it
you and the strange earth cling for dear life
as your distant wife waits
in a white nightgown she closes the window
lightly kisses the Virgin before snuffing the light — from Nameless Flowers: Selected Poems of Gu Cheng, trans. Aaron Crippen
Gu Cheng (1956–1993) was a modern Chinese poet, essayist, novelist, and a well-known member of the “misty poets,” a group of Chinese modernist poets whose style is characterized by obscurity. He learned to write poetry from his father Gu Gong, a Chinese army poet, and in his experiences living on a farm after his family was sent down for “re-education” during the Cultural Revolution in China. He became associated with the Jintian (“today”) journal, which sparked the “menglong” or obscure poetry movement. After killing his wife, Xie Ye, he committed suicide in New Zealand.
“An Imperialist Soldier’s Judgment Day”
when that fateful bullet struck you
turned instantly tragic forgetting
sharp pant-creases and military salutes
like a scaleless fish caught in a swamp
clutching the cool moist earth you writhe
soundlessly shouting to case off the pain
that wound welded into your body
a hundred times more real than a governor’s medal
the sluggish flame will keep burning
gnawing your soul into ruins
as stubborn as time
all the water in the world cannot stop it
you and the strange earth cling for dear life
as your distant wife waits
in a white nightgown she closes the window
lightly kisses the Virgin before snuffing the light — from Nameless Flowers: Selected Poems of Gu Cheng, trans. Aaron Crippen
Gu Cheng (1956–1993) was a modern Chinese poet, essayist, novelist, and a well-known member of the “misty poets,” a group of Chinese modernist poets whose style is characterized by obscurity. He learned to write poetry from his father Gu Gong, a Chinese army poet, and in his experiences living on a farm after his family was sent down for “re-education” during the Cultural Revolution in China. He became associated with the Jintian (“today”) journal, which sparked the “menglong” or obscure poetry movement. After killing his wife, Xie Ye, he committed suicide in New Zealand.