The Caged Bird
Rick Rugang Ye 叶如钢
The caged bird sees more space than iron bars
At night it sees more iron bars as black fire
It smells fish and slices of Jupiter ring
Which are offered by its lost son
The caged bird regrows its wing feathers
on a pair of wing bones
It sings louder, for its throat is slit open
It expands the cage by walking in circles
so that leopard is invited in, also seals
叶如钢以幽邃的洞察力与经久不息的热忱烛照宇宙枢机、触摸考证与追溯尽头蓄藏于迷雾深处的本真和玄妙，其诗行贯穿茫茫若干世纪，寻觅永恒于自然奇观与托形于建筑的人文丰碑内在的纹理和逻辑。这位心骛八极、极具慧性的诗人，以辩证思维为框架，在读者眼前展开一幅飞越重洋、桥接洲际的编年史全景画卷，呈现历史与现代的万千大观。在其诗歌体系的万花筒中，将碎片化的知识与经验重组为一场狂喜的奢华盛宴。 ——殷晓媛
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The poem “The Caged Bird” by Rick Rugang Ye is rich with metaphor and can be interpreted in many ways. The imagery moves from the constrained reality of the bird to its expansive perception, perhaps a metaphor for the mind’s power to transcend physical limitations. The bird’s night-time vision transforms the iron bars into “black fire,” indicating a sense of danger or entrapment that intensifies with darkness. Yet, there is a surreal quality, as the bird smells “fish and slices of Jupiter ring,” which seem to be offerings from a “lost son,” introducing elements of loss and the otherworldly.
The bird’s regrowth of its feathers on “a pair of wing bones” speaks to resilience and renewal despite injury or trauma, as it sings “louder” despite having a “slit open” throat—a powerful image of defiance and the will to be heard. The final lines, where the bird seems to mentally or spiritually “expand the cage” through its repetitive walking, to the point of inviting wild animals into its space, suggest a breaking of boundaries or a redefinition of freedom. The poem seems to explore themes of confinement and the struggle for freedom, the power of the mind and spirit, and the unexpected beauty that can emerge from suffering. （GTP-4）
叶如钢 当代诗人，数学家、翻译家，美国加州大学圣巴巴拉分校终身教授，中国科学技术大学长江讲座教授，曾任德国波鸿大学终身教授，曾在斯坦福大学任教；《全球诗人艺术家月刊》、《世界诗人和艺术家月刋》总社长兼总编辑、创始人，《沧浪雅苑》首席顾问，《新语境诗刊》首席顾问，《加拿大海外作家协会》名誉会长，《诗人名典》顾问，《风吟诗歌》顾问。
新西兰 澳纽网出品
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