PREFACE

I Have Seen the Yellow Crane is the first book of the Chinese-English “Wuhan Poetry and Prose in Translation” series. This series presents selected works by the most prominent modern and contemporary Wuhan authors. The books cover various subjects and are distinguished in their respective styles.

Featuring 183 poems, selected mainly from Wild Flowers on the Plateau and The Everlasting Pot by contemporary Chinese poet Zhang Zhihao, I Have Seen the Yellow Crane showcases the poet’s remarkable ability to stay close with daily life. It unravels the subtlest meanings from trivial happenings in the streets and alleys and the natural world, and then conveys them in an extraordinary poetic language. It transforms quotidian realities into poetic subject matter, vivid images, and highly relatable spiritual feelings. Ultimately, it offers the readers a vicarious experience of sizzling youth, the wide Jiang Han Plain, capacious understanding of the multitudes, and relay of valuable human traditions. Emanating a tender feeling for the city of Wuhan and its suburban neighborhoods, palpable passionate love of the Yangtze River as home and hearth, and generous kindness to friends nearby and afar, this book is a city in and of itself, words its bricks and love its mortar. As the translator, I feel great joy in translating these poems and sharing them with poetry lovers who are interested in accessing this city, real and literary.