Poetry Can Inspire: An Anthology of Global Chinese-languagePoetry in the Age of the COVID-19 Pandemic

In 2022, Chinese poets in Taiwan, mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Canada, and the US submitted poetry written at different points of the pandemic under the same goal: to inspire readers and each other, and to heal weary minds from the fear and isolation following the nearly three years of lockdown. Their efforts culminated in the publication of Poetry Can Inspire: An Anthology of Global Chinese-language Poetry in the Age of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The collection contains pieces that directly address pandemic life, as well as feature scenes from nature and reflections on poetry writing. The poem “Imaginaries of Modern Society on Train G1578” by mainland Chinese poet Lan Lan (藍藍) contrasts naturalistic imagery with scenes of quarantine in China, where authorities applied tape to the doors of those mandated to self-isolate. “I said / I could still imagine February, tearing away, across the land / all of the [quarantine] tape. Because I believe the seasons / are beyond human social imagination” (Lan Lan 92), she writes, describing her hope for new beginnings upon the arrival of spring, and for quarantine to end. Regarding her own poetry, she states, “The poet’s pain was sharpened by the times, but no one / really wants to be Du Fu (杜甫)” (Lan Lan 92), referencing the poet Du Fu, who lived around 700 AD and was known for the poems he wrote during the wars that plagued his country for much of his life. By stating that she does not aspire to be Du Fu, she expresses that she does not want her poetry to come fully from suffering from the “times” of the pandemic, and instead opens up the possibility for imagination. While she writes, she observes the other passengers on the train with her, such as “A youth, hunched over his phone, patiently / accompanies his fleeing girlfriend” (Lan Lan 92), and “people scrolling Douyin and Weibo / anxiously searching up the Delta virus (variant of COVID-19)” (Lan Lan 93), highlighting the atmosphere of anxiety under the threat of the virus and as people were displaced from their homes due to quarantine measures.

Taiwanese poet Meiyu Liu (劉梅玉) describes the similar phenomenon of social panic in her poem “Early Lesson,” writing, “He found that they / were trapped in a cottony rectangle / waiting in line / to buy the newest brand of anxiety” (Liu 29), illustrating the rampant panic buying during the pandemic, especially of face masks, which the “cottony rectangle” could represent. She also uses the metaphor of cells infected by viruses, whose walls become thin and fragile, to reflect the increased risks of socializing under the pandemic in the line “But like this, they come even closer to / those infected, invaded / pleasures that easily collapse” (Liu 29). In the pandemic, people became more vulnerable to illness not only because of the virus present in the environment, but because of each other, making every act of social interaction dangerous.

The poets involved in this poetry collection do not shy away from discussing the difficulties faced and social disorder during the pandemic. However, they stay true to their objective of inspiring, writing about scenes from foreign countries and nature which lift readers’ spirits and give hope that the pandemic will come to an end one day. Acknowledging the gravity of the pandemic, Lan Lan poses this question to herself, “In a cold winter like this / when I thrust my hands into the new year’s air / what will I catch in the end?” (93). She answers, “Maybe, from a series of loving words, I can / recognize the promises that I wish to demand from myself” (93), which encourages readers to find hope and strength within themselves amid uncertain times.