Ouyang Jianghe’s Letter to VSC
Dear VSC,
I’ve spent a lovely time here in Vermont. My life here has been a quartet of writing, walking, thinking, and talking. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a night sky as beautiful as this, heard the autumn breeze whispering in the trees, water playing in the brook, stars above—it seems as if they’ve been waiting here for me since time immemorial, waiting for these two weeks (during which, as it happens, I celebrated my 53rd birthday) to enter my poetry, to cleanse my mind and spirit, my eyes and my ears. During my time here, I’ve felt touched by an older time, the time of the Chinese ancients, and the work I’ve produced here is resonant with that feeling. I could not have written it anywhere else. I’ve been moved deeply by the landscape, the air, the sky, the river, the trees, the people, the ideas exchanged, the myth-like story of the place. I am deeply grateful to VSC for everything it has given me. I hope that in the future many more Chinese authors, poets, and artists will have the chance to come to VSC. Whether from the creative work itself or the life experience a stay at VSC provides, a brief month here could very well change the course of a lifetime.
Sincerely,
Ouyang Jianghe
我从遥远的中国来到VERMONT，度过了非常美好的两周时间。我在这里的生活，是由写作，散步，思考，交谈构成的一个四重奏。我已经多年没有看到像VERMONT这么美丽和安宁的星空。树林里的秋风，河里流动的流水，天空中的星辰，它们古已有之，它们选择VERMONT这个地方，选择我53岁生日，进入我的诗作，清空我的头脑和心灵，洗涤我的眼睛和耳朵。我在这里感受到的古老触动，写出的诗作，是在其他任何地方和时刻感受不到，写不出来的。这里的风景，空气，天空，河流，树木，人心，对话，还有它传奇般的故事，让我深深感动。谢谢VSC给予我的一切。我希望，中国以后会有更多的作家，诗人，艺术家有机会来到VSC。给更多的人机会吧，无论从写作，创作的角度，还是从感受生命的角度看，VSC短暂的一个月，很可能会影响一生。
Ouyang Jianghe, is a VSC Literature in Translation Program Poet from China who came to VSC in September with an American translator, Austin Woerner. To read about Ouyang Jianghe more click here. To read more on the VSC LiT program, click here.