Joshua Ip (b. 1982)
SELECTED POEMS
FIND 失而复得
Translator’s Note: The poem is a response to senior Chinese poet Xi Ni Er’s “LOST怅然若失”. Both poems show the characters for “moon, sun, river, mountain” in modern Chinese font (楷书 kaishu) in the top row, the same characters in ancient oracle bone script (甲骨文 jiaguwen) in the second row, evolving into English characters. I have reversed the order of the words in the first row, and reversed the evolved meaning of the poem. His poem ended with LOST, a state; mine ends with FIND, an ongoing process. Translation in all its flavours has helped me to find new ways of finding myself.
by Joshua Ip
from Ownself Say Ownself: New and Selected Poems (2024)
