Daily Poem: Footpaths Cross in the Rice Field ~ Lin Ling
Footpaths Cross in the Rice Field
~ Lin Ling
Translated from Chinese by Kenneth Rexroth and Chung Ling
From “The Penguin Book of Women Poets”: Lin Ling is also known as Li Chi. Both are pseudonyms used by Hu Yun-shang, a native Taiwanese poet. After she left Taiwan for the United States to do graduate work she stopped writing poetry, but her verse is considered important for its imagery and rhythm.
You are horizontal.
I am vertical.
We divide the heavenly bodies
And the four directions between us.
We come from the place of becoming,
Pass by here,
And encounter each other
In this final meeting
In a flooded rice field.
An egret descends on still wings.
We quietly chat about the weather,
And say, ‘I’ll see you again.’
Quietly make an appointment,
Climb to far apart hillsides,
And look back from the summits.
A pure white feather floats down.
As the feather floats down,
Oh, at that moment
We both hope that happiness
May also be like a white bird,
Quietly descending
We hope—
Even though birds
Are creatures with wings.
Rice field
