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The Source and the Bird

The Source and the Bird H A I Z I Translator's Note In contemporary Chinese history, very few literary figures are revered as much as Hai Zi, a poet who has become a cult figure. He was twenty-five when he committed suicide, in 1989, by lying in the path of a train that ran between Shanhaiguan and Longjiagong. Hai Zi had with him four books: the Old and New Testament, the short stories of Joseph Conrad, KonTiki, and Walden. Hai Zi's name, literally translated, means "son, or boy, of the sea." He admired Hölderlin and the European Romantic poets, such as Byron, and a central theme in his work is the self-sacrifice of the poet, who is martyred by his art. In Hai Zi's poems, one feels a cosmic harmony: sorrowful yet soothing, natural yet shrouded. Despite the acute desire for death he expressed in his writing, Hai Zi also wrote tender, sensuous prose and poetry, reflecting on the seasons, nature, the beauty of light, and the sorrows of love. His style is figurative and economic rather than rhetorical, though he often refers to epics, myths, histories, and legends. When translating Hai Zi, I am cautious to avoid a psychological reading, to keep http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Manoa University of Hawai'I Press

The Source and the Bird

Haizi,.
Manoa , Volume 24 (1) – Aug 4, 2012
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Publisher
University of Hawai'I Press
Copyright
Copyright © 2008 University of Hawai'i Press.
ISSN
1527-943x
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Abstract

H A I Z I Translator's Note In contemporary Chinese history, very few literary figures are revered as much as Hai Zi, a poet who has become a cult figure. He was twenty-five when he committed suicide, in 1989, by lying in the path of a train that ran between Shanhaiguan and Longjiagong. Hai Zi had with him four books: the Old and New Testament, the short stories of Joseph Conrad, KonTiki, and Walden. Hai Zi's name, literally translated, means "son, or boy, of the sea." He admired Hölderlin and the European Romantic poets, such as Byron, and a central theme in his work is the self-sacrifice of the poet, who is martyred by his art. In Hai Zi's poems, one feels a cosmic harmony: sorrowful yet soothing, natural yet shrouded. Despite the acute desire for death he expressed in his writing, Hai Zi also wrote tender, sensuous prose and poetry, reflecting on the seasons, nature, the beauty of light, and the sorrows of love. His style is figurative and economic rather than rhetorical, though he often refers to epics, myths, histories, and legends. When translating Hai Zi, I am cautious to avoid a psychological reading, to keep

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Manoa – University of Hawai'I Press

Published: Aug 4, 2012

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