Chrysanthemums on the Sea
Written by Song Lin
Translated from the Chinese by Jami Proctor Xu
Narrated by Jami Proctor Xu
China
Sprinkle the seeds sprouted in the mirror onto the sea
Put the sword away. The sword
is emanating heat in the seawater
The chrysanthemums are in bloom; the books have fallen off the shelves
Three nightingales simultaneously fly out from the mirror
What is this that feels so frightened and shaken
Who is it on the leaking rubber boat, so frightened and shaken
My throat catches a sword falling from the sky
From the firmament, I enter the world, then sink back down,
sleepwalking among mountains of immortals and the bright moon above the sea
Song Lin, who was born in Fujian, China, began writing poems in the 1980s. He has published six poetry collections and is the recipient of Rotterdam, Romanian, and Hong Kong International Poetry Nights fellowships, and the Shanghai Literature Prize. His bilingual collection, Sunday Sparrows, received the Northern California Book Award for Poetry in Translation.
Jami Proctor Xu is a bilingual poet and translator. She is the recipient of a Zhujiang Poetry Award and a First Readers Poetry Award. Her translations of Song Lin’s collection, Sunday Sparrows (Zephyr, 2020), received the Northern California Book Award for Poetry in Translation.