In poems that echo those of his classic ancestors Luo Ying captures the natural world.

Luo Ying is best-known for poems that give voice to his experiences during the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976) when he was one of the “sent-down youth.” The poems in Water Sprite show us that despite his experiences during those years, his individual voice was not crushed beneath the weight of ideology. In poems that harkens back to the observations in classical Chinese poetry, Ying focuses on small and often unobserved aspects of the natural world.  His words paint delicate pictures of a world, and a psyche, that remained intact—though not untouched—through turmoil and chaos.

Translated by: Denis Mair