Last December, Pancouver introduced readers to Cathy Xinman, a B.C. resident who writes poems in English and Chinese. Below, you can read one of her English-language poems, “Not the Midsummer but You I Love”. It appears in her English-language collection, Where You Love Yourself.
Not the Midsummer but You I Love
Ah, my lover dear,
your song makes the midsummer grow on the mountains.
I am a little lower than the sky.
Let me invite the deer,
the sheep and the cattle,
the birds and the fish.
Let them run to me,
I will let you win.
Do something, dear,
let your happiness be seen
on the mountains above.
Joyfulness is in you, my sweet dear.
Run through fire, I will for you.
It’s not enough, it’s not enough.
Let me invite a little flower,
let it heal your love’s wound.
You’ll stand on the mountains.
Let the petals clap their hands.
Let the hungry lions hide in the bushes.
You may hide your face too, my sweet dear.
Let them catch enemies
who tremble like giving birth.
The stars shall shine from afar.
My arms will embrace you at dusk.
Come and see something,
you sleep soundly.
Rest and breathe without a worry.
You think about my love.
Not the night dream, but you I love.
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