Sword Hanging in the Empty Field: New and Old Poetry Collections

Author: Jin Kemu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1999-05-01
Features: This book is a collection of my new and old poems, titled Hanging Swords in an Empty Field. It can also be said to be "a dialogue with the past," but this name is not as suitable. Because there are two dialogues in it, the meaning and layers are quite rich. In the past, poetry was mainly used for two purposes: one was to respond to the world, and the other was to conceal emotions. By "concealing emotions," I mean that emotions are expressed through poetry, and there must be something hidden behind them. If it can be described in prose, why use rhyming language? There are many poets, not just Chu Ci, Yonghuai, or Wuti? My poetry is mediocre, lacking in literary charm, with loose and erroneous rhymes, and the emotions and stories are still hidden. Poetry seeks an interpreter, and annotations are redundant. However, readers today are different from those in the past. To avoid misinterpretation, I have slightly reduced my conjectures, briefly noted the background, and added references. I am also afraid of being too laborious and only increasing ridicule. The sages of the past sought the Dao, meditating in seclusion for nine years. I, in my self-reflection, have kept silent for a decade. Now I am ready to transform, leaving behind these worn-out brooms. Written in the spring and summer of Wuyin (1998).