The Letter Arrives with the Spring Next Year (Selected Poems of Jiang Ping)

Author: Jiang Ping
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-20
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The contents of the inner world are now exposed! I originally thought this poetry collection would forever remain buried in my inner world. After careful consideration, I decided to publish it and dedicate it to all those who care about and concern me. These are the true expressions of my thoughts and emotions over two decades of adversity. Poetry is undoubtedly the best form of emotional expression and release. I have always been fond of classical Chinese poetry. With ample time during adversity, I experienced the feeling of being possessed by poetry, as reflected in my lines: "The poetry demon possesses me, leaving no time at all, seeking new verses all day, exhausting my mind for words, unable to sleep through the night." A pool of painful emotions sought solace in poetry. Good poetry often emerges from adversity. Today, I better understand Du Fu's famous line, "Demons delight in people passing by, while literature despises those who are prosperous." "Literature despises those who are prosperous" is an eternal truth. Prosperity does not produce great literature, only adversity does. The highest call of my poetic expression in adversity was: "A thousand words and countless phrases fill my chest, yet I have nowhere to pour them out. Sighing three times, I question the heavens: Why does the archer who not bend his great bow?" Today, when I can fully bend my great bow, I can no longer write such passionate verses! Poetry can truly express a person's seven emotions and six desires, joys and sorrows. In poetry, one can express their political views, criticize current issues, reflect on the past and comment on the present, and even laugh, scold, and curse. Fortunately, measured by today's political environment, these critical and mocking content are not prohibited. Therefore, the publication of this poetry collection is truly an unexpected gain for me. I am not a poet, just an amateur lover of poetry and prose. This is merely a practice. The requirements for tonal patterns in poetry are too strict, and I always struggle to master them. I always believed that since poetry is for emotional expression, it shouldn't be too restricted by tonal patterns! Overall, it's enough to be like poetry. On the occasion of the poetry collection's publication, I composed another poem, "Yi Qin E," to express my feelings: "Yi Qin E is hard to part with, yellowed old paper spitting out rough stones." Spitting out rough stones, time has changed, yet traces remain." Life may not always be a bed of roses, but the path ahead still requires boldness, boldness! Years have aged, and poetic passion is no more!