French Poetry Selection

Author: Cheng Zenghou
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-08-01
Features: France is not an ancient civilization, and it did not have splendid achievements in ancient times. However, in the annals of modern history, in 1789, the Parisians shed blood to overthrow the feudal autocracy, which was a time in human history; in 1848, the Parisian workers shed blood to defend their right to survival, which was also a time in human history; and in 1871, the Parisian proletariat shed blood to attempt to establish a public ownership regime, which was also a time in human history. The French people represent the common ideals of humanity, and they have written three bold strokes in this recent chapter of world history, driving the wheels of progress forward.
Poetry emerged and evolved in sync with history. History is the external behavior of people, while poetry is the inner reflection of people. As people create history, they have words to say and songs to sing. The sweetness, bitterness, and struggles of creating history, as well as the joys and sorrows of facing life, must be expressed through poetry and its language. Both poetry and history are centered on people—they are products of people, yet also mirrors for people to reflect on themselves. Poetry and history are two aspects of the same thing.