When the moon
[Poland] Milosz
When the moon rises and women in floral dresses stroll
I am attracted by them The eyes, the eyelashes, and the whole arrangement of the world impressed me.
In my opinion, from such a strong mutual attraction
the final truth will eventually flow out.
(Translated by Amu, selected from "Foreign Poems")
Appreciation
Mi?osz's poems are like flowing clouds and flowing water, natural and smooth, simple and unpretentious, yet not lost in style. Poetic.
The first two sentences of the poem are about a group of women wearing beautiful clothes walking under the moonlight. The scenery and people are beautiful, very charming, and it is natural for the poet to be attracted to them. Be "impressed by the whole arrangement of the world," and how many fascinating stories will come out of it.
The brilliance of the poem lies in the last two sentences: "In my opinion, from such a strong mutual attraction/the final truth will eventually flow out." Life is a kaleidoscope, but "the final truth will eventually flow out." There is only one "truth", so what is the "final truth"? The poet did not say it out loud, leaving it to the readers to discover and supplement.
This is the implicitness of poetry. Implicitness makes the poem have an endless aftertaste. Poetry creation should be created jointly by poets and readers. Only by learning artistic restraint can we write poems more implicitly, giving readers more room for imagination, and making the poetic meaning endlessly changeable.
(Chen Shaowei)