If a Mountain Lion Could Sing stands as the first major English translation of poems written by Chinaâs greatest lyric poet, Xin Qiji. World-renowned translator Red Pine has found a new dance partner. His latest bilingual collection, If a Mountain Lion Could Sing, boasts 126 poems by swordsman, visionary, and Chinaâs greatest lyric poet, Xin Qiji. Paying respects at the poetâs grave and visiting the very places where Xin composed his stanzasâthe cassia trees of the Wu River, houseboats along the Yangzi, mountain monasteriesâRed Pine makes a physical and spiritual exercise of translation. Written over 800 years ago, and to melodies since lost, Xinâs verses still leap across centuries, mapping real and interior landscapes, relaying universal concepts of duty and solitude, love and nostalgia. Though âtrue mirrors are hard to come by,â Xinâs poems serve as haunting reflections of a man who sang with âheroic abandon.â
If a Mountain Lion Could Sing - Xin Qiji & Red Pine
If a Mountain Lion Could Sing stands as the first major English translation of poems written by Chinaâs greatest lyric poet, Xin Qiji. World-renowned translator Red Pine has found a new dance partner. His latest bilingual collection, If a Mountain Lion Could Sing, boasts 126 poems by swordsman, visionary, and Chinaâs greatest lyric poet, Xin Qiji. Paying respects at the poetâs grave and visiting the very places where Xin composed his stanzasâthe cassia trees of the Wu River, houseboats along the Yangzi, mountain monasteriesâRed Pine makes a physical and spiritual exercise of translation. Written over 800 years ago, and to melodies since lost, Xinâs verses still leap across centuries, mapping real and interior landscapes, relaying universal concepts of duty and solitude, love and nostalgia. Though âtrue mirrors are hard to come by,â Xinâs poems serve as haunting reflections of a man who sang with âheroic abandon.â