Mang Ke is a prominent Chinese poet and painter who started the underground literary journal Jintian (Today) with Bei Dao. He has published several collections of poetry in Chinese, as well as a novel and a volume of essays. October Dedications contains a chronological selection of material focusing on previously untranslated work from the early 1970s to late '80s.

Frozen Land

pallbearers drift by like a cloud
the river slowly carries the sun
dying the water's long surface golden yellow
such stillness
such vastness
such sadness
the meadow of wilted flowers

Edited and translated by: Lucas Klein, Huang Yibing, Jonathan Stalling