Ageless youth, an ageless poem—He is still young

A poem is forever young. A poet always remains a teen. Once I thought I was elegant, wearing an ethereal scarf and talking about romantic poets. It wasn’t easy. I am a poet, and a plowboy. Poets may take on several appearances. However, I am who I am.

On the 14th of May, Soochow University’s Shuangxi Modern Literature Award Committee invited the reputable native writer, Sheng Wu, to deliver the third speech of the series in the International Meeting Room of the Shuangxi Campus. A kind old gentleman walked into the Conference Room at 7p.m., affably watching students who were offstage. He was Sheng Wu. He was still young. He Is Still Young was the title of Sheng Wu’s collected poems published in Oct., 2014. It included all of his works written over the past 14 years. His speech was about the writing process and his changing moods.

What does “he” infer about the poems in He Is Still Young? Absolutely NOTHING. Mr. Wu laughed and said that he is no longer young. Does “he” refer to him in the poems? NO. The pronoun “he” in He Is Still Young refers to Taiwan. As a writer and also an indigenous plowboy and farmer, Wu’s inspiration comes from Taiwan. Besides, we can smell the Taiwanese flavor in his poems. In his speech, Wu asked a student to recite the poem, He Is Still Young.  It is about the beauty of this wonderful land and how it looks l after humans have threatened it. The reader can easily appreciate Mr. Wu’s intention to inform us that our fragile country has been readily affected by earthquakes and couldn’t be harmed by people.

Concern for this land and social events inspires Mr. Wu. He cannot help but use words to express these waves of emotion to overcoe the injustice of the world. Hence, his poetry can influence the people surrounding him.

In his later period, Wu’s works changed to explore and ponder human life in order to examine the essence of life. Then, Last Years Meditation was launched. This kind of creation also means that Wu’s life reached another stage. In addition, also as an alumnus and writer, Sheng Wu’s daughter, Yin-ning Wu, and his son, Chi-ning Wu, have made contributions to the literary and musical world, respectively. Mr. Wu felt proud that a certain sensibility of his was inherited by his offspring.

The two-hour lecture was not long enough to narrate his entire journey in life. At the end of his speech, the students’ passionate response gave off an intense flavor. That is the Taiwanese flavor.