Hang sword on an empty field

Author: Jin Ke Mu
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 seen as "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, writing poems had two purposes: one was to respond to the world, and the other was to conceal emotions. To say "conceal emotions" means that emotions are expressed through poetry, and there must be something hidden. If it could be described in plain language, why would one choose rhyming words? There are many authors, not just Chu Ci, Yonghuai, and Wuti? My poetry is mediocre, without refined literary style, and the rules and regulations are often incorrect. 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, added brief notes on the background, and included references. I am also afraid of being too laborious and only increasing ridicule. The sages of the past sought enlightenment by meditating for nine years. I have reflected on my faults and 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).