Flowers of Empire - by Cao Shui
Poetry
collection in three languages by Fiori D'Asia Publisher
Review
by Maria Teresa De Donato
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Reading, interpreting,
and reviewing The Flowers of the Empire by Cao Shui was not easy but
extraordinarily fascinating and equally exciting.
The purpose, not only of
this Collection but also of his entire literary production, is clearly
indicated in the chapter Rebuilding the Tower of Babel of Literature in which
the Author himself states:
"I think if everyone
spoke the same language, maybe we could actually reach Heaven. ... I hope that,
through writing, we can rebuild the Tower of Babel of literature so that
everyone can communicate freely. ...I devised my Tower of Babel Plan and began
to put it into practice in hopes of creating a literary world. (pp. 13, 14) The
World Poetry Movement (WPM) promotes the concept of a world without
walls." (p. 16)
A great culture, a
profound sensitivity, and an equal capacity for analysis and to see the World
at 360º emerge in this literary work as the flagships of Cao Shui's poetics.
By his own admission,
this Collection expresses his (Cao's) "feelings for the city of Beijing,
Beijing, the capital of China. ... built around the Forbidden City, [and which]
is ever expanding ... like a huge flower that blooms and controls the
nation." (p. 17)
In my opinion, however,
this work goes much further as its interpretations are various: literal,
symbolic, esoteric, and metaphysical.
The message, sometimes
hidden, other times direct, is simple: go far away with your mind, overcome
linguistic, cultural, and political barriers, and embrace humanity as a whole.
We are all in the same boat, human beings of every nationality, ethnicity,
culture, political and religious ideal. The only thing that divides us and, at
the same time, unites us is living Life consciously or not.
Only Awareness allows us
to have an overall, global, objective, and disenchanted view of the Whole.
Paradoxically, it is, at the same time, precisely Awareness that makes us
suffer when we realize the nonsense that governs this World, of how the true
meaning and intrinsic value of Life itself, of an existence worthy of being
defined as such, escapes the majority.
Awareness, therefore,
leads to the realization that in the face of a lost Humanity and under hypnosis
"the only one who
cries in pain is you...
The only one overwhelmed
by pain is you...
...the most ordinary
person in the World..." (pp. 29, 30) (NOTE: Emphasis added)
The differences that, as
human beings, we have created, cause that
"We look at each
other from the river, remaining on the two opposite sides.
Through two distinct
realities, we observe ourselves,...
We peer at each other
from two separate worlds,
and suddenly we feel
dizzy." (p. 93)
...
Dark matter is all around
us,
there is a huge black
hole between us
...
We are all doing our best
to find a time
channel." (p. 100)
At the same time, hope is
the last to die, that is, the one that
"From the sunset of
Europe to the dawn of Asia
it's an eternity;
that will finally unite
us. (p. 71)
...
Their descendants
one day they will be a
family." (p. 72)
Among the themes of
fundamental importance that emerge from reading this Collection of poems, we
also find a condemnation of consumerism or worse, the lack of appreciation for
the value of what we have, respect and admiration for Nature, the consequences
of 'disposable' mentality sadly applied also and above all to human beings.
A beautiful aspect that I
found is Cao's versatility and his consequent ability, through his verses, to
unite various cultures - Eastern, Western, ancient, and modern - thanks to his
vast literary and historical knowledge which, spanning centuries and Countries,
gives Life to a whole that is as harmonious as it is seductive.
Although aware that
"In the vastness of
the World,
loving yourself is so
hard!"
Cao's poetics aims, first
and foremost, to highlight the gaps that humanity has as a whole and the fast
and incessant passing of time and, consequently, of our human existence.
However, it also constitutes an invitation - which perhaps some could interpret
as 'utopian' - to look 'beyond the curtain,' grasping the meaning of Life and
understanding that, despite appearances, i.e., traditions, religious and
political beliefs, and one's system of beliefs, we all belong to one big
family: the human one:
"...on the top I
will gather all the people
to teach them to plant in
the world
new seeds." (167)
Therefore, Flowers of Empire is a splendid
collection of poems I recommend reading to everyone. It will fascinate readers,
involving them emotionally and leading them to careful reflection.
My compliments also go to
the publisher, sinologist, and Author, Fiori Picco, for the detailed
translation. Fiori, however, should not only be recognized for having carried
out a careful work of translation from Chinese, correct from the point of view
of the lexicon, but also, above all, for her ability to render these
translations into Italian and English equally poetic.
Single text in three languages
- Italian, Chinese, English (Amazon)
