The trees on the bank all have inverted images
in water; the higher they are,
the more profound they are reflected.
It is the same with objects in distance,
such as the hillside, the houses
and the lighthouse on the roof.
So accustomed to the scene, I never ponder
how it relates with my heart.
I walk along the canal in the autumn evening and suddenly
find myself amid such quiet atmosphere
of the reflections, which is like antidotes for life
in a outstretched hand, or a sustained-release capsule
for a middle-aged man.
Night falls. Street lights turn up under the willows
one after another. My heart begins to take
the gentleness of willows, while the images
become ever deeper in reflection......
About the author:
Chen Ken is a poet from Hubei province. His works appear in Chinese literature magazines Poetry Periodical, Changjiang Literature, Chinese Poetry, Poetry China, Chongqing Literature, etc.