It is not often that I get to receive Chinese books in Australia. This book, titled “Song of a Wanderer: Beckoned by Eternity”, was written by the famous Chinese American paster Feng Bingcheng under the pen name of Li Cheng. Originally published in Simplified Chinese in 1969, the book was translated into English in 2002.
The book borrows its title from a famous poem by Tang Dynasty poet Meng Jiao (751-814), for which I have attempted an English translation below. I would assume the author chose this title because it reminded him of the fable of the prodigal son in the Bible.
—–
“Song of a Wanderer”
Composed by Meng Jiao, English translation by Christine Yunn-Yu Sun
.
The thread in my loving mother’s hand
is woven into this travelling son’s gown.
Before I left, she made her stitches double,
fearing I would be late returning home.
Who says the gratitude of an inch-long grass
can repay the sun’s radiant warmth in spring?
.
Voices under the Sun 陽光下的聲音 