#yi lei

[feral-ballad]

Yi Lei, tr. by Tracy K. Smith, from My Name Will Grow Wild Like a Tree: Selected Poems; “Nightmare”

[majestativa]

What color will you paint me? […] You don’t know […] the shade of my emotions.

— YI LEI ⚜️ My Name Will Grow Wide Like a Tree: Selected Poems, transl. by Tracy K. Smith & Changtai Bi, (2020)

[ladyofshallot]

its about a third or so through the year now so i thought i’d do a little reading check in! the covers above are all the books i’ve so far this year (for fun! i’ve read 8 or so books for school this semester, mostly poetry collections and some young adult novels for an education course, but i dont really care enough about them to talk about lol!)  

here’s a little run down, not really in any order:

her body and other parties by carmen maria machado — read probably two thirds of this last fall, but took a break from reading when the semester got too crazy. finishing this was so great!!! i think machado’s writing is phenomenal and her stories are so moving. it makes me want to read more short story collections, because i dont really seek them out! 

persuasion by jane austen — reread! i listened to the cynthia erivo audiobook from spotify over the weekend before valentines day and it was very lovely 🥰

my name will grow wide like a tree by yi lei — i’m so glad yi lei’s work has been translated so that i got an opportunity to experience her brilliant poetry. i read and reread the lines like 🤯🤯🤯! tracy k. smith has also done something really cool with the translation here. she talks in depth about her process in the introduction, which was excerpted in lithub if youre curious! 

deerskin by robin mckinley — one of my new favorite books! strange, propulsive, essential!! 

phantom of the opera by gaston leroux — this was fine lol the musical is definitely more fun

pachinko by min jin lee — didnt have this on my list of books to read this spring but i got so excited by trailer for the tv show adaptation and the opening title sequence (!!!!!) that i just had to :) it was amazing! if you’re intimidated by the length, honestly dont be! i flew through it 

trouble the saints by alaya dawn johnson — another one i picked up again after dropping it last fall. this was so lush and atmospheric, but i found it hard to follow all the threads of this one, partly because of the way it’s plotted, partly because the fantasy elements are so nebulous

the moonstone by wilkie collins — randomly a new favorite! i love detective novels, so it shouldnt be a surprise, but i guess i wasnt expecting The Literal First One to be so compelling and fun! it felt like sinking into a hot bath every time i opened the book 

the low low woods by carmen maria machado — i must be a machado completist!!! this rocked! as a PA native, i was especially tickled by the fact that she’s writing what she calls “pennsylvania horror” here :) centralia is such juicy inspo for a creepy graphic novel like this one.

2022 has been a good year for books so far! it doesn't really feel like it, because i haven’t been reading super regularly. but looking back, i found some new favorites and havent really disliked anything!

[shorthair5000]

Yi Lei 艺蕾

[thanatophobia-thoughts]

Autumn wind chases in From all directions And a thousand chaste leaves Give way. Scatter in me the seeds Of a thousand saplings. Let grow a grassy heaven. On my brow: a sun. This bliss is yours, Living World, and alone it endures. Music at midnight. Young wine. Lovers hand in hand By daylight, moonlight. Living World, hold me In your mouth, Slip on your frivolous shoes And dance with me. My soul Is the wild vine Who alone has grasped it, Who has seen through the awful plot, Who will arrive in time to vanquish The river already heavy with blossoms, The moon spilling light onto packs Of men. What is sadder than witless Wolves, wind without borders, Nationless birds, small gifts Laden with love’s intentions? Fistfuls of rain fall hard, fill My heart with mud.  An old wind May still come chasing in. Resurrection fire. And me here Laughing like a cloud in trousers, Entreating the earth to bury me.

Yi Lei

Translation: Tracy K. Smith and Changtai Bi

[elizabethanism]

"I have felt you in my heart everyday."

—Tracy K. Smith to Yi Lei

[smokefalls]

Title: My Name Will Grow Wide Like a Tree: Selected Poems Author: Yi Lei Translators: Tracy K. Smith and Changtai Bi Expected Publication: November 2020 Genre: poetry

This was such a beautiful collection of poems filled with desire and defiance. I just wish there were more poems for me to read, or at least the ability to read Chinese and put the English translation side-by-side with the original. I found the way translation worked out for this collection fascinating, with Changtai Bi providing the direct translation from Chinese to English. Tracy K. Smith steps in to provide a more poetic translation that had a similar aura of the original. As a result, the words may not seem faithful to the original, but I appreciated the care Smith put into each poem to evoke what Yi wanted.

It was clear that this translated collection was essentially a conversation between Smith and Yi, as though they were dancing together to draw out a particular musicality from words that were in harmony with the subject matters. I imagine the original poems had a particular melody and rhythm to them, since Smith’s co-translated poems had a near-singing quality to them. The repetition of words also created a particular rhythm throughout the collection that made for an immersive experience.

Note: I received this collection of poems from NetGalley and Graywolf Press for an honest review.

[seekingstars]

Green Trees Greet The Rainstorm - Yi Lei, translated by Changtai Bi and Tracy K. Smith