News at Eleven: The point, for neither Clayton [Eshleman] nor

for Lucas [Klein], is to supplant, or replace, earlier translations. Rather, since each translation enacts its own reading, these translations present an alternative to Hinton’s vision, and to his performance of that vision. As their long history with Bei Dao can attest, Clayton and Lucas see manifold meanings in Bei Dao’s writing, and believe that he deserves to be read as often, and as deeply, as possible.

In the selection of poems presented here, "Sower" is from Forms of Distance (New Directions, 1994, translated by David Hinton). The other three poems are from Landscape Over Zero (New Directions, 1996, translated by David Hinton and Yambing Chen). Both collections are bilingual.

from Bookslut: A Bei Dao Portfolio

~~~~~~~~~~~