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Hands that tilled the soil now make poetry
By Yin Qinqin and Shen Li |
April 30, 2013, Tuesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
A farmer for most of her life, 62-year-old Jin Lianping has now begun to be a poet. No, this is not the outline of a new film, but reality.
"When I was a young farmer, I worked with my hoe for the whole day looking down to the soil with my body bent. During my spare time I sat in a chair outside my front door reading a newspaper," Jin recalled. "In those days, that was the happiest time in the day."
But as her education had stopped when she left primary school, she never thought that one day she would be writing poems.
When she became an urban resident, she no longer worked in the fields and her life became easier. Two years ago, she learned that the area she lived in - Anting Township's Xin'an neighborhood - had an elder poets' society. Curious and excited, she became a member of the society. "My hands are full of calluses," said Jin.
As a farmer she had to deal with the hoe and soil in the past but now she has to work with paper, pens and words, a dramatic change for her. "At the very beginning, I did not know how to start. Then, I thought I'd better write something about the hoe, about my personal experiences, anything with true feelings."
When Jin first started writing, she felt it very difficult. She could hardly find the right words and almost lost confidence in herself.
But the other members of the society, especially the seniors around her age who share a love for literature and poetry, helped her a lot. They often met to write poetry and discuss each others' work.
They helped Jin to polish her words and sentences and gradually, Jin's poems improved. She finally released her first work:
Want to write poems putting away hoe, person with little literacy can hardly go.
Facing ridicule without fears, I ran ahead while crushing barriers. Deep roots can stand in the tempest, lady with persistence gets enlightenment.
Time like water passes through, dream in heart will come to true.
Encouragement from family members also helps her on the journey to be a poet.
At the start, Jin did not know how to write many Chinese characters and her granddaughter lent her a Xinhua Dictionary, the most authoritative and widely used Chinese language dictionary, and sometimes she would even teach Jin to write some characters.
Each time Jin completed a poem, she would read it aloud to her son and he was so delighted and promised to create a microblog on which to release his mother's poetry.
In March, Jin's neighborhood committee published a selection of poems from the society and viewing her work in print Jin felt more encouragement to carry on writing.
"After starting writing poetry, I can found good things around me more easily. Now I am searching for inspiration of life to write poem, and searching for interesting things in life from the poem."
"When I was a young farmer, I worked with my hoe for the whole day looking down to the soil with my body bent. During my spare time I sat in a chair outside my front door reading a newspaper," Jin recalled. "In those days, that was the happiest time in the day."
But as her education had stopped when she left primary school, she never thought that one day she would be writing poems.
When she became an urban resident, she no longer worked in the fields and her life became easier. Two years ago, she learned that the area she lived in - Anting Township's Xin'an neighborhood - had an elder poets' society. Curious and excited, she became a member of the society. "My hands are full of calluses," said Jin.
As a farmer she had to deal with the hoe and soil in the past but now she has to work with paper, pens and words, a dramatic change for her. "At the very beginning, I did not know how to start. Then, I thought I'd better write something about the hoe, about my personal experiences, anything with true feelings."
When Jin first started writing, she felt it very difficult. She could hardly find the right words and almost lost confidence in herself.
But the other members of the society, especially the seniors around her age who share a love for literature and poetry, helped her a lot. They often met to write poetry and discuss each others' work.
They helped Jin to polish her words and sentences and gradually, Jin's poems improved. She finally released her first work:
Want to write poems putting away hoe, person with little literacy can hardly go.
Facing ridicule without fears, I ran ahead while crushing barriers. Deep roots can stand in the tempest, lady with persistence gets enlightenment.
Time like water passes through, dream in heart will come to true.
Encouragement from family members also helps her on the journey to be a poet.
At the start, Jin did not know how to write many Chinese characters and her granddaughter lent her a Xinhua Dictionary, the most authoritative and widely used Chinese language dictionary, and sometimes she would even teach Jin to write some characters.
Each time Jin completed a poem, she would read it aloud to her son and he was so delighted and promised to create a microblog on which to release his mother's poetry.
In March, Jin's neighborhood committee published a selection of poems from the society and viewing her work in print Jin felt more encouragement to carry on writing.
"After starting writing poetry, I can found good things around me more easily. Now I am searching for inspiration of life to write poem, and searching for interesting things in life from the poem."
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