Poem
Song Xiaoxian
1958
that spring, there was a terrible droughtno one could stop
the earth from cracking open
and spilling its shrivelled guts
mice jumped out of rice jars
not a single grain was harvested
but so as not to make the higher-ups lose hope
our considerate village headman
sent people out night after night
first to paint the ground grass-green
then to paint it gold
© Translation: 2005, Simon Patton
1958
© 2005, Song Xiaoxian
Poems
Poems of Song Xiaoxian
Close
1958
that spring, there was a terrible droughtno one could stop
the earth from cracking open
and spilling its shrivelled guts
mice jumped out of rice jars
not a single grain was harvested
but so as not to make the higher-ups lose hope
our considerate village headman
sent people out night after night
first to paint the ground grass-green
then to paint it gold
© 2005, Simon Patton
1958
that spring, there was a terrible droughtno one could stop
the earth from cracking open
and spilling its shrivelled guts
mice jumped out of rice jars
not a single grain was harvested
but so as not to make the higher-ups lose hope
our considerate village headman
sent people out night after night
first to paint the ground grass-green
then to paint it gold
© 2005, Simon Patton
Sponsors
Partners
LantarenVenster – Verhalenhuis Belvédère