The Fall of a Grey Whale
－ In memory of the 20th Century
A big bang following the mighty strike
In the boundless twilight of the Eve
The tail of the twentieth Century, like
A grey whale falls back into the vast wave
Breaking billows splash in all directions
Like what happened in history; All commotions
Will soon return to serenity
Be it the trumpet of war and tragedy
An enduring romance in days of old
Or the groans of hunger and cold
The memory of human beings, you see
Is but an evening breeze over the sea
Now, all in all, we can only fix our sight
At a gleam of hope, in morn’s dawning light
(Translated by C. W. Wang. Published in The Chinese PEN, No.144,
June 2008, Taipei, Taiwan)
