Fish Fossil is a new poem written by modern poet Ai Qing in 1978. It is a unique song sung by the poet Ai Qing after his "return". As an object-chanting poem, with the help of the description of the bloody fact that a creature was buried in the dust for no reason, it expressed the sadness and mourning for the lost life. The whole poem is structured, harmonious, lyrical and natural, and the language has a simple beauty.
The whole poem has eight stanzas. In the first section, the poet described the pattern of fish swimming freely in the water in a relaxed and lively language. How lively and energetic they are, jumping in the waves and ups and downs in the sea. In the second section, the poet turned his pen and guessed the reason why a lively and free fish became a fish fossil. Unfortunately, in case of volcanic eruption or earthquake, you will lose your freedom and be buried in the dust.
Anyone who knows Ai Qing's experience will understand the symbolic meaning of this poem. 1957, Ai Qing was beaten to the right for no reason, and was forced to be silent for 20 years, losing the right to create, just like a once free fish was suddenly and unexpectedly buried in the dust.
Hundreds of millions of years later, the geological exploration team found you in the rock strata, still lifelike. By chance, I found a fish that has become a fossil fish. There seems to be no change, but you are silent, not even a sigh. Your fins and scales are intact, but you can't move. This fresh fish has lost its life. This is a ruthless display of the political struggle to destroy life.
Brief introduction of the author
Ai Qing (1910-1996), formerly known as Jiang Zhenghan, was born in Jinhua, Zhejiang. Modern writers and poets. 1936 published the first book of poetry "Dayan River" at his own expense. He is the author of poetry anthology "The North" and "The Wilderness", and his long poems include "Towards the Sun", "He died for the second time", "The Trumpet" and "Torch".
Ai Qing's poetry creation in contemporary literature can be divided into two periods: the first period is the creation in the 1950s, with poems such as Cheer, Gem Red Star and Spring. The second period is the creation after the "Cultural Revolution", including the collection of poems "Song of Return" and "Colored Poems".