The Night of the Cat’s Return

Description

The Poems of Chanho Song subvert anthropocentric views of the world, rendering the textures of daily life through the eyes of the inhabitants of the land of pygmies. Butterflies, cats, and flowers speak in their own voices, presenting readers with a new perspective on their lives—and on nature. But the fairy tale-like world painted by Song is not the innocent one of a child unacquainted with the harsher realities of experience. Rather, it is what awaits explorers of the fallen language. Song invokes the state of regained innocence celebrated by William Blake, inviting us to engage in a dialogue with what the ancient Chinese called the ten thousand things; his poems demonstrate how to live harmoniously with nature.