POETIC DELIGHTS BY ZHANG ZHI-CHINA

1- Metal Heart 

A heart

Not too fervent

Beats within the chest of steel.

Delicate currents

Flow through your veins silently,

Stirring the pulsing,

Even cheering of life.

Indeed,

You have a metal heart,

Yet yearn

To seek

The faintest spark

Of human warmth

In the cold cosmos.

2-Elevator Usage Precautions

Do not pry open the doors.

Do not lean against the walls.

Do not loiter.

Do not play around.

In case of fire or earthquake,

Do not use the elevator.

Do not press buttons at random.

Do not smoke.

Do not litter around.

Do not bring in fierce dogs.

Do not slap the doors.

Do not block the doors with body or objects.

Do not allow electric bikes inside.

Do not run into the elevator.

Do not overload.

But poetry

And the soul are exceptions.

3-I’m Not Sure If It’s Also Snowing in the Other World

—To my late mother, Chen Yibi (April 29, 1937—12:33, December 27, 2022)

The moment

They pushed you into the cinerator,

I knew

From that time

You had moved from a large cement box

Into

A small ceramic one.

Then

In the sky above us

It was snowing...

Then

It seemed to me

You were standing alone

Under another sky,

Reunited with your parents,

Your husband,

And your siblings,

Leaving behind

The scattered

Stars and moon

For us,

For this miserable world...

I am not made of steel.

I dare not

Easily cut out a piece of

Memory with you,

Even in words.

I have to slow down my steps

And slow down the wings of my soul...

You came

To this world.

So did I.

Our lives

Seem to be merely a pause

Between one snowfall

And another

...

Suddenly, I feel a bit cold...

And then

I was not sure

If it’s also snowing

In the other world...

When dawn

Was awakened

By a bird’s chirp

And twilight

Like your withered

fingers

Brushed away gently

The snow all over my body...

Written on the night of December 28, 2022, in Chongqing

(Translated by Prof. Li Zhengshuan）

AUTHOR:

DR. ZHANG ZHI-CHINA

Zhang Zhi, also known by his pen name Diablo and English name Arthur Zhang, was born in 1965 in Phoenix Town of Baxian County, Sichuan Province, China. A prominent figure in contemporary Chinese literature, he is a distinguished poet, critic, translator, and publisher. Holding a doctorate in literature, he currently serves as the president of the International Poetry Translation and Research Centre, editor-in-chief of Rendition of International Poetry Quarterly (multilingual), and the English edition of the World Poetry Yearbook. He also advises the Center for Globalization of Chinese Poetry at Nankai University. Since beginning his literary and translation career in 1986, Zhang Zhi's works have been translated into over forty languages. He has received numerous international poetry awards from countries including Greece, Brazil, the United States, Israel, France, India, Italy, Austria, and Japan, among others. He has published seven poetry collections in foreign languages and translated several poetry and fiction works, making significant contributions to global literary exchange.