In form
Some poems , old poems
externalsied in Forms
Some tubes
no longer in use
were meant
to construct perhaps
a wardrobe-
not a steady wardrobe
painting them
with only some remaining colors
adorning with
old Chinese poems
such as
the Clear and Harmonic music
by Li Yu ( 937-978)
translated by Prof. D.C. Lau
The following is my own translation:
After you left
Spring is gone
in half
Touched
by the sight
depressed
within
intense
swiping off
fallen plum petals
scattered
like fallen snow
cleaning them off
full again
all over
my body
Swallows return
with no message attached
Long winding path
Dream of returning
A home
no where to be found
Departure
as sad
as
Grass in Spring
Each step
one takes
Each distance
one makes
each blade of grass
grows thick
Then there is the other poem
To the Tune of Yu mei-jen
by Chiang Chieh ( 13th c.)
painted in English, translated by Prof. D.C Lau
on the no longer usable support for my own mattress
why throw them away
why not qualify their being with me for such a lengthly period
in this seclusion
in the outskirt of Rome?
A bamboo lantern
recovered from unused items
also
utilised to place on top of
the reassembled whitewashed
branches
the transpaent film
on which once printed
a big colorful
painting turned black and white
of a poem, long cherished by me when I was a teenager
by Hsin Ch'i-chi (1140-1207)
is
also
reused
Revisited
Reused
but
in a mood
totally different
like the poem
which says, in my own words:
When young
I did not know
the true quality
of sadness
I went up one more level
one more level
in order to
find words
afresh
I pretend to
speak of
sadness
And now
when sadness
is finally
made known
in full force
As soon as I utter
no word is uttered
As soon as I utter
no word is uttered
But say
So cool
the air
so good
the fall
(installation inspired by poetry or poetic situation necessitates installation, 2015 )
