Poems of the river Wang

Chen Guojian. - Poetry Elementary China. Kapok tree. 2008

I have never been a good poetry reader, suppose that this worry for facing immediately before new concepts or new ideas, prevents me to dedicate the calmness that a few poems brimming with meanings deserve, and in fact, between the hundreds of books that I have read on China, I do not believe that there has been any more than one dozen related to the poetry, and always well written down and explained.

Nevertheless, for a few weeks one listened for house to a refrain:
- Brilliant light - says my wife - of the moon before my bed - there answers my daughter of almost two years (both in his Chinese language).
Will it be... - continues my wife - the hoarfrost on the soil? - my daughter answers.
I contemplate the moon - the mother - on having raised the head - the daughter.
Her under and I sink - it finishes - in the nostalgia of my ground - it choruses him.

It is the poem "Nostalgia during a silent night" of Li Bai, with which Elementary China initiates the last book of Guojian Chen, Poetry.

As well the author says in his introduction to this work: "There is surprising the publication of the poetry and his penetration the life of the population. In the times many poems sing Tang and Song to themselves in the bars, run of mouth in mouth in the streets, register in walls or walls of the schools, of the temples, of the offices of post office. Poems are written to congratulate, to express condolence, to ask for a favor or a charge, to dismiss a friend."

I would add: "Today they have turned into such an internalized part of the cultural heritage of the Chinese people, which already from the most tender infancy the popular songs replace between the children."

In case of my daughter, Mientras I entertain him with "Below a button, ton, ton..." his mother does it repeating sweetly to meet of Li Bai, Du Fu or Wang Wei.

If I began this note recognizing my absence of knowledge of the Chinese poetry, I must say in my favor that this is not completely my fault. Before a complex, genre succinct and pregnant with meanings, there happen the unequal translations that sometimes only leave in the reader a confused feeling: "Ah, so this is the famous poetry Tang".

Chen Guojian (since in China we place the surname rather than the name) possibly also will listen to many of the poems that it offers to us in his new book with his first milk, and across this process of slow digestion that takes him his entire life, it presents to the reader of Hispanic language a poetry Tang to have a good time, to love, to enjoy the empathy a few outstanding souls that captured his feelings on a role piece already many centuries ago.

Thanks to this work I hope that many other readership should enjoy the opportunity to understand the Chinese poetry, to love to the Chinese poetry, and across her, to a more and more nearby culture.

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