Vox Populi
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Helen Pletts: love lies like a silver thought on still water
and when the light catches up with it, I catch myself
and throw myself into the depths
the robin wears redness for me today
like a single red thought
all the earth, racing ahead in life
saying swim out, go as far as you can
leave the shore
leave the shore
6th of April, 2024
~~~~
Below is Helen Pletts’s poem translated into Mandarin by Mǎ Yongbo
爱情躺在静水上，如同银色的思想, 马永波 译
爱情躺在静水上，如同银色的思想，
当光线赶上它，我抓住自己
把自己掷入深渊
今天，知更鸟为我穿上红装
如同一个红色的思想
整个大地，为生命而争先
催促着，游出去，越远越好
离开岸边
离开岸边
~~~~
Helen Pletts is an award winning UK based poet.
Mǎ Yongbo was born in Yichun, Heilongjiang, in 1964. Since 1986 Mǎ has published over eighty original works and translations. He is a professor in the Faculty of Arts and Literature, Nanjing University of Science and Technology. His studies centre around Chinese and western modern poetics, post-modern literature, eco-criticism and western literary theory.
English version, copyright Helen Pletts
Chinese version, copyright Mǎ Yongbo
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lovely
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Your kind encouragement means a great deal to me Barbara, it’s really good to see you here today, Thank you again
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“the robin wears redness for me today
like a single red thought”
…that will keep me thinking thoughts of many colors today!
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Thank you Laure-Anne for appreciating my poem
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“swim out, go as far as you can
leave the shore
leave the shore”. Thank you.
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Thank you Barbara for your appreciating my poem, I hope all is good with you.
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Thank you Barbara for appreciating my poem
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Thank you for writing it!
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“Swim out as far as you can / leave the shore”. A gorgeous poem with a serious message and encouragement.
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I agree. I love the wild leaps in this lyric.
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I need to sincerely thank you Michael, Vox Populi was where I first read Deborah Bogen’s translations of Ma Yongbo’s poetry back in February, and where we realised we could begin to work closely together, successfully, translating each other’s poetry.
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I’m glad that you and Youngbo have been able to work together.
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Thank you, Michael
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Thank you Rosemary for appreciating my poem
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With the redness of the robin, by the silver beckoning sea, swim out like a translation. With Helen Pletts you’ll be
Buoyed in the glow of her poetry.
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Well-said, Jim.
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Thank you Jim for appreciating my poem
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