Simple Heroism Poem by Denis Mair

(inspired by two lines from Andun Zhou's long poem 'Wild Grass Enticements'*)

'Pure simplicity is sacred/ It is poetically heroic.' (纯洁是神圣的/ 纯洁是诗意的英雄主义.)
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That really strikes a chord with me.

A pure soul must navigate many whirlpools.

Mythic stories come from the complexity within a 'simple' soul.

Confucius said 'the benevolent man is fond of mountains, '

perhaps because he can feel the historical travail

that stressed and buckled the Earth's crust.

'The wise man is fond of water':

perhaps he knows the importance of following

the quicksilver stream of substitutions

that come to rest in the pool of a symbol.
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{Photo credit: Andun Zhou}
{*Note: These two lines are #259 in An Dun's serial poem 'Wild Grass Enticements' (荒草蛊) . You will find poems and flower photos on An Dun's timeline. His spare, lucid poems come across pretty well using FB's translation function. Select 'See Translation.'}