“Have Knowledge” is part of "West: A Translation," my book-length translation of a Chinese poem carved into the walls of Angel Island Immigration Station, sometime during the Chinese Exclusion Act. The Angel Island poem, written by an anonymous Chinese migrant, commemorates a fellow Chinese detainee who committed suicide. I was commissioned to write a poem about the transcontinental railroad for its 150th anniversary, and I wanted both to highlight the histories of the railroad workers as well as link the building of the transcontinental with the Chinese Exclusion Act, which was passed thirteen years after the first transcontinental railroad was completed. My complete translation of the Angel Island elegy has been turned into a digital poem, "West: A Translation," which readers can play to read and watch more documentary poems and videos. “Have Knowledge” has its own specific video. The book, complete with short historio-lyric essays and documentary images, is forthcoming May 2023 from Copper Canyon Press.
Paisley Rekdal on "有 識: Have Knowledge" |
|
|
"One of Somalia’s Greatest Poets Dies"
"Messages of condolences continue to pour in from around the world following the death of Mohamed Ibrahim Warsame, regarded as one of Somalia’s greatest poets....'He was one of key pillars of Somalia’s art and literature who took a leading role in preserving the Somali culture and promoting the Somali language. His death is felt in every Somali household.'"
via THE GUARDIAN |
|
|
Support Poetry Daily
Poetry Daily depends on the generosity of its readers. Please consider a donation today and help new readers to explore this global art form one poem at a time. |
|
|
What Sparks Poetry:
Donald Revell on James Longenbach's Forever
"To read the poems gathered as Forever is to walk beside Jim Longenbach along the banks of Lethe. We know the place, having been here before, with Dante in the most beautiful cantos of his Purgatorio. We remember its perils—the perils of oblivion and forgetfulness. And we remember its allures—the garden on the farther shore and a reunion there with the unforgettable. But something has changed. Somehow, Longenbach has prepared an estate for us along the water’s edge." |
|
|
|
|
|
|
