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Unlock the Poem, Unlock the Poet

Window of My Soul - Chan Lut Ming

Chan Lut-ming 陳律銘MBBS 2007

 

“Poetry is like a riddle. You have to guess what I mean. And a good poem always has a key to unlock it.” Currently working as a medical doctor in a palliative care ward, Chan Lut-ming has “numerous encounters with different people, in which the human ‘touch’ generates ‘feelings’” that drive him to write poems.

 

Lut-ming started his “poetic” journey in 1999, and learnt to write poems from a discussion forum on the internet. Writing under the pen name 風緣, his first poem to appear in print was published by the magazine 《詩潮》 in 2002. During his time at HKU, he and his classmates founded 港大詩社 (a student society for Chinese poetry) and his poems have appeared in various publications including《詩網絡》 and 《秋螢》. Asymptote, a premier site for world literature in translation, translated and published some of Lut-ming’s poems in 2015.

 

In 2016, he reviewed all of his poems and published a poetry collection 《所望之事》, with the foreword written by poet Wu Yin-ching 胡燕青 (BA 1978), whom he deeply respects and is grateful to. “I was introduced to Master Wu through the scholar Xiaosi 小思 (MPhil 1982), whom I met at a talk. Then I joined Master Wu’s poetry classes and have known her for over ten years.”

 

“I am grateful to my mentor Master Wu. Her poetry collection《攀緣之歌》inspired me most, as the poems are good and has showed a very deep understanding of theology.” Sometimes he receives feedback from Wu after his poems have been published in newspapers and magazines. When he first read the foreword written by Wu for 《所望之事》, he was moved to tears. “I felt that she understands my struggle and expressed it in simple and clear words. I am so delighted that Master Wu can understand me so deeply.”

 

As a medical practitioner, Lut-ming’s work experiences complement his imagination and creativity. While Lut-ming continues to provide medical care to his patients in hospital, he will keep publishing poems and other writings through different channels, and will take part in a joint exhibition with Taiwanese poets in January 2017.

 

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「這書終於出版了。感謝一直催逼我的人。一直沒有出詩集因為一直認為自己水平不夠。直至去年 Asymptote 說要翻譯我的詩,過程是非常有趣的。沒想過有人會去認真讀自己的詩。是非常鼓舞的。這次重看自己的詩,彷彿重新走一次行過的路,讓大笑變微笑,檢視傷口是否復原。也提醒自己,已經停滯得太久了。學習新的表達和技巧,重新學做人。有些朋友留意到,自去年 12月後的作品變化多了。其實是檢視自身的成果。

非常非常感謝胡燕青老師。我沒有這個福氣做她的學生,只是全世界的人都叫她胡老師我也跟著叫。沒有上過她的課,也沒有認真跟過她學詩。她的書,我倒是有十幾本,我最多是個超級 fans。感謝她的序,我第一次看時在地鐵上,她 email 給我。我看得哭了,然後有人讓座給我。好不尷尬。感謝她切入剖開我的詩,讓我感到自己不錯。

我以為自己會寫一個長長的跋去多謝所有的人。最後,都沒有。可能,一如以往,我尊敬的人是知道我尊敬他,愛我的人知道我一樣愛他。」

 

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《所望之事》詩作分享

 

< 就這樣,我們說好了>

每天走一樣的路
踏著易碎的葉
照一面黃昏
擠擁的影

寧靜的椅
說些今日事
嚐口減價乳酪
褪色的廈在原地

爭先恐後的招牌
雜貨漫延路邊
相同的稱謂
模擬講價

單線行車
趕快落批貨
響亮始起彼落
沒擋住光線和煦

就這樣,我們說好了

Poetry is like a riddle. You have to guess what I mean. And a good poem always has a key to unlock it.

  • Collection of books by Wu Yin-ching