Christopher T. George
Gary
Blankenship, A River Transformed: Wang Wei�s River Wang Poems as
Inspiration. Santiam Publishing, 2518 Fruitland Drive, NE, Bremerton,
WA 98310. ISBN 1-14116-6227-X, perfect bound, 106 pp., $15.00, eBook,
$8.38. Available from Lulu at
http://www.lulu.com/content/178110
Pacific Northwest
poet Gary Blankenship has been engaged in writing and publishing poetry for
some years, during which time he has made an extensive study of Oriental
forms of poetry. This study has paid off in this collection of pieces
evocative of the poetry of Chinese Tang dynasty poet Wang Wei (699�761 AD).
The technique used in
the opening pages of the book is to print Mr. Blankenship�s free verse
sonnet based on and inspired by a poem by Wang Wei and then to discuss and
present the Chinese poet�s original work. So we begin the collection with
�After Wang Wei�s Deer Park (5) � Return to Deer Park� the �5� designating
that this is the fifth of twenty poems by Wang Wei in that poet�s River Wang
series. Gary admits that this is a somewhat arbitrary starting point
� but, I say, better to dive in with both feet so to speak! Blankenship�s
poem is a colorful though somewhat somber mood piece�
The market is shuttered and locked for the night;
no cry of �ripe
persimmons, fresh for supper;�
only the scurry of rats,
a sudden rain.
The road to the hill
village is deserted.
Thunder over black peaks
reverberates;
I imagine mountains ring
with laughter.
Remember evening�s light
beside the stream
as we waited beneath damp
cedar fronds
and empty nests for the
day to end.
Smoke drifted east as the
sun returned
to illuminate mounds of
moss and toadstools;
you and I unaware the
light reflected green.
Crickets sang of peaches
and mahogany;
remember the wasps were
quiet.
Although the sonnet
is not an Oriental form, as the poet himself acknowledges, Blankenship does
capture something of the tone and meaning of the short Wang Wei original, as
given in his own rendering of the translated poem�
In the empty mountains, no one;
but the sound of men
echoes.
Light returns to the dark
forest
to illuminate moss and
leaf.
Also provided for
reference is a literal translation of each Wang Wei river poem as well as
the original poem in Chinese calligraphy.
Thus, Blankenship�s
poems in this part of the collection are, in sense, a westerner�s riff on
the themes of the high Tang poet informed by the sensibilities and tone of
ancient Chinese verse. The images, carefully chosen by Blankenship, well
evoke the type of nature poetry and the moods of the seasons found in Wang
Wei. The poems provide a celebration of Wang Wei and the poetry that the
illustrious Chinese poet wrote even if it is not all poetry directly from
the mouth of the original. I feel that the volume is educational and
informative in exploring the ancient poet�s works and giving us
Blankenship�s inspired responses to those pieces.
Another example, this
time Blankenship�s �After
Wang Wei�s Luan House Rapids (13) - Beyond the Estuary��
A torrent drowns duckweed and bulrush;
squalls whip cattails and
willow thickets.
Canvas wet outside and
in, soaked shoes
squirt with each muddy
step.
A trickle, rivulet, rush
flows over field
and road, into cellars
and badger holes.
Boats break from their
moorings, trash bins
float like empty shells
past broken dolls and bikes.
On a cloudless night, we
embrace the stars;
we pour diamonds through
our fingers.
On a cold autumn night,
jewels turn to dross;
promises dull, lumps of
cinder without warmth.
A summer�s debris drifts
to block the drain,
a white feather trapped
between stones.
And his rendering of
the Wang Wei original�
Autumn rain and wind gusts
strike the boulders
below.
The rapids� waves collide
-
startled egrets rise,
settle
We can see that
Blankenship offers a bounty of rewards beyond Wang Wei�s original, taking
the Chinese poet�s poem as a point of departure, and heading off to find new
treasures. Skillful use of alliteration and movement enlivens the scene and
makes for an entertaining and satisfying extension of the theme first
explored by the ancient poet.
The poems in the
later part of the book are also written using imagery inspired by Chinese
poetry although they are not poems written as responses to ancient works
unlike the pieces that open the book. Still, these poems too offer nice
surprises and little treasures for the reader, as in the following examples�
1. It is the water that has spilled, the pitcher is still intact.
--Nigerian poet and
Katrina survivor
Mudslides block the high mountain roads
Storms flood the long
valley�s villages.
Tomorrow, rugs and
clothes will be hung to dry;
next week, the market
will sell the last moldy bean.
2. People are my clothes.
--Yoruba proverb
Shouts heard from the
trail below, visitors from afar;
Dust from donkeys, ox,
and porters; relatives arrive.
Every chicken prepared
for the pot, even the rooster;
every child sent to
gather hazelnuts, even the new bride.
Companion to a
Lost Work
stone words break to dust
against our empty spaces
iron will rust copper
fueled by lack of heat
the void cold lime
nibbles into each dry
pour
and time slips unfinished
our tools broken
before the first ring
slid on your finger
If there are downsides to this
charming collection, they might be: First, that the whole book is not a
response to the works of Wang Wei as the title of the book appears to
imply. And, second, that toward the end, some short poems of, say, only
four to eight lines occupy a whole page, leaving a lot of white space.
Obviously the same might be said of some books from better known poets�books
that cost much more. This collection, in either printed or electronic
format, is well worth the price for anyone who loves poetry and who loves
the nature themes characteristic of Oriental-style verse. I whole heartedly
recommend Gary Blankenship�s A River Transformed: Wang Wei�s River Wang
Poems as Inspiration.
� Christopher T. George
Loch Raven Review Winter 2005 — Vol. I, No. 2
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