We Remember

(Adam Cheung)

In our first Kubrick Poetry meeting of the year, we remembered the life and works of Leung Ping-kwan (Ye Si).  We simply gathered around in a circle and shared the poems that moved us the most.  Adam began by reading his favourite poem Rainy days in Sun Po Kong (新蒲崗的雨天) which captures the lives of the aspiring writers from the time of the poet’s youth, set to the backdrop Sun Po Kong. Polly recited At the North Point Car Ferry（北角汽車渡海碼頭）that painted a solemn picture of the North Point ferry pier. She also read a new found favourite poem called Pomegranate (安石榴) which depicts a fresh new images that she has never found in his Things poem before. Wai Yim appreciated the international scope of Ye Si’s works as she selected poems recited in both Chinese and French. It was observed that a lot of what we liked about Ye Si’s works came from the 1970s.

Oswald recalled the spirit of the times and praised Ye Si for his passion and persistence in cultivating a career in writing in a time when many were scrapping to get by. Helene took an alternative angle and shared a prose piece, which appeared as an epilogue of a cherished prose collection. Milan paid tribute to the poet by reading his contemplative sketch of the bitter melon. Near the end of our session, we were pleased to learn that a film is being made about the poet’s life.  Various participants have also announced that there will be a series of activities in the moves to come to celebrate the life of Ye Si, a poet who have touched all of us at a deep level and a writer who, like no others from Hong Kong, have attained literary immortality through his words, his observations, his smile, and his dedication to supporting the young writers in our city.

(photos by Paul Wan)