Read Luofu, Inspiration of Universe Poetry

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Masters Luofu

　　The present Parnassus in China remains seems quite substantial due to the existence of Luofu, who is one of my favorite poets. His poetry collections are always by my desk and bedside.Whenever late at night or full of feelings of misery, my first thought followed by careful reading is his poetry, because those works can always get me out of the dilemma of the soul and lead me to emptiness and honesty.

　　When I was a teenager, I was in an unfamiliar and half-baked condition to read classic poetry just after learning a few Chinese characters. Especially the poetry of the Tang Dynasty, I was totally touched and attracted by its broadness and exquisiteness. I was intoxicated to even knock a teacher's doorat night with pure hope of understanding one of the five-word quatrains of WANG Wei,people may think I am a little neurotic.It is absolutely unsolvable as the realm of immeasurable beauty and ethereal spirit of WANG Wei’s poems are imperative to read more and more and inspiring. Mr. Luofu has long been ahead of others in terms of inheriting and expanding classical poetry. The joyful feelings of reading his poems for the first time are no less than that of the Tang Dynasty at the beginning.This is my unique feeling because I am a Mongolian. And my feeling of reading a Chinese poetry is definitely different from that of the Han readers. So, it must have its exclusive forte.

　　In my opinion, the tradition cannot be fully returned. You will never be LI Bai, DU Fu, or LI Qingzhao, nor will you be the man of the Book of Songs. Because the living environment has changed and the mode of production has changed, your way of thinking cannot be changed, and your mode of operation cannot be changed.Therefore, anyone’s returning to the tradition and such similar arguments lack of consideration. Such a theory that inheriting the classics and the development of the classical ones is not only in accordance with the law, but also more scientific.Mr. Luofu’s new poetry, regardless of language, imagery and atmosphere created, remains modern and brand-new, which has no trace of oldness. It is in its bones that permeate the depth and essence of classical poetry.

　　Upon reading the modern poetry, the greater imperfection is the coarseness and inexperience of language, which might be of excessive folklore or excessive translation.The taste of Chinese poetry could not be felt upon reading some new poems, which seems to be reading untranslated foreign poems, non-tea or noncoffee, very disappointing.

　　Reading Mr. Luofu'spoems is very addictive, pure Chinese charm, but no lack of modern flavor. His exquisite short poems are comparable to classical masterpieces, which are extremely simple and flawless. Changing any one of these words will harm the poem itself. In other words, he is in the realm of pursuing his own most impressive languages. When reading his poem Golden Dragon Temple for the first time,I was shocked by its broad emptiness and unexpected philosophical imagery. I like to read poetry concerning Zen and the quiet and mysterious atmosphere in the temple, as it can wash people's hearts and remove the part of human heart that is inhuman.Let’s review this piece:

　　Evening bell

　　Are roads for tourists down the hills,

　　Fern plants

　　Along the white stone steps

　　Chewing down all the way

　If snowfalls here

　　And only see

　　A startled gray cicada

　　Put the lights in the mountains

　　One after another

　　Ignite

　　This is exactly the magic of God. He employs common things, such as temples, night bells, ferns, snow, gray cicada and lights to outline and create an amazing world of poetry. Can you find a superfluous word?Can you change any of his words? How could the night bells be the path of a tourist going down the mountain? Seemingly unreasonable, but it was natural and reasonable as there was a great deal of description omitted here. In the leap and reorganization of images, the reader is shown a quiet and beautiful life with mystery.And along the white stone steps, it is not animals, but plants that chewing all the way, weird but not strange, and full of magic and greatly exceeding your expectations and making your mind climbing to an extremely high space of imagination. The sentence of "If snow falls here", unexpected and independent, makes your imagination into heaven.Then, who will ignite the wild light of the mountains in such a wonderful wilderness? It is not a young monk but a frightened gray cicada. As you may see, at this moment, are you in the world orstill in the Wonderland? Are you a common person or the god of poetry embracing the human being with passion? It is just so wonderful and indescribable.This reminds me of a poem of the Tang dynasty Yuan Gong Shrine, which depicted the nightfall of Lushan Mountain: "The pine road leads to the noble house, and the flower shrine belongs to the old monk. Idle clouds flow freely, and the sunset looks golden in color. Into the deep night, a light was ignited amongst mountains."I remember that I had been to Lushan Mountain and lived in Yuling. I came out for a walk in the evening and was shocked to discover the scene of the "a light ignited amongst mountains" in the poem. I just didn't know if it was the light of the temple or others. The poems of many of the Tang Dynasty masters keen on the landscape are deeply respected by later generations. Mr. Luofu’s Golden Dragon Temple has also reached the same height.

　　It can be said that Luofu’s short poems are all outstanding, and it is difficult to find traces of creation accordingly which is full of wisdom after natural creation. I am especially deep into some of his works, including Song of Everlasting Sorrow, Drink with LI He, Looking into Hometown by Border, Legend of LI Bai, Reading DU Fu by Carriage, Xi Hu Er Ti, Approaching WANG Wei, Death of Stone Room, Thatched Cottage of DU Fu, Rain-falling into the mountains without seeing the rain and etc. In general, Mr. Luofu has opened up a gratifying path that complements the tradition and the modern, which is the glory and hope of the new Chinese poetry.

　　In 1979, the poet YU Guangzhong accompanied him to the border,Lok Ma Chauto look into the mainland during his visit to Hong Kong, during which he wrote the shocking Looking into Hometown by Border. After the death of Mr. Luofu in the last few days, some media reported that he still hoped that his friend would help him to complete his last wish at the time of his stay - to engrave his own poem Looking into Hometown by Borderinto a stone monument and place it in a park in Shenzhen.

　　It reminds me of the early years. When I read Mr. Luofu's poem Looking into Hometown by Border, my heart was so touched, and I wrote a short poem "To Luofu" which has been published in a poetry periodical. After that, it was collected in my collection of poems The Soul Homeland. Now it is copied as follows as the end of this article in memory of Mr. Luofu:

　　I read your Looking into Hometown by Border