Newsletter No. 350

No. 350, 4.1.2010 NEWS & EVENTS 「另一種聲音」盪漾夜空─香港國際詩歌之夜 Music of the ‘Other Voice’: International Poetry Nights in Hong Kong • 墨 西哥詩人奧克塔維歐  ‧ 帕斯在〈另一種聲音〉中寫 道：「革命和宗教之間，詩歌是『另一種聲音』。它 的聲音是『另一種』，因為這是激情與幻覺的聲音，是這 個世界與另一個世界、是古老又是今天的聲音，是沒有日 期的古代的聲音。……只要真正是詩人，就會聽到那『另一 種』聲音。」 2009年11月下旬的香港，充滿着另一種聲音。東亞研究中 心連同校內外多個部門、機構，舉辦了本港有史以來最大 規模的國際詩歌盛會─為期四天的香港國際詩歌之夜。 東亞研究中心的北島教授說：「香港恰好為這另一種聲音 提供了空間，這與香港獨特的歷史背景、政治與文化的生 態有關，與其國際地位和地理位置的重要性以及多民族多 語種並存的現狀有關。我相信，『香港國際詩歌之夜』不 僅僅是香港的文化事件，也是整個漢語世界的文化事件。 在這個意義上，地處邊緣的香港反而有可能成為漢語文化 的中心之一。」 舉辦這次活動，除了要讓香港市民認識本地及國際詩歌， 還想給香港人緊張忙碌的生活帶來詩意，並擴闊香港讀者 的眼界，拓展正規教育中創造與想像的空間，為香港成為 國際性的文化都市作出貢獻。 香港國際詩歌之夜由一連串學術及文化活動組成，包括三 場研討會、五場朗誦會和一場座談會。 這次盛事共有十四位中外詩人參加。當中七位是遠道由四 大洲來港的國際著名詩人：美國當代詩壇泰斗蓋瑞  ‧ 史耐 德；美國散文詩人兼翻譯家艾略特  ‧ 溫伯格；阿拉伯語詩 歌界的代表人物、埃及詩人阿赫穆德  ‧ 海加茲；日本戰後 一代詩人代表高橋睦郎；阿爾巴尼亞女詩人魯列塔  ‧ 柳沙 那庫；德國詩人庫爾特  ‧ 德拉沃特，以及墨西哥最重要的 女詩人卡羅  ‧ 布拉喬。其餘七位則是中國詩人—國內的翟 永明、歐陽江河，台灣的鴻鴻，以及香港的也斯、胡燕青、 廖偉棠和北島。 在11月26日晚上假本校西部綜合教學大樓舉行的開幕朗 誦會，由拔萃男書院學生詠唱杜甫的《兵車行》掀起序幕， 詩人散坐在舞台上一堆堆捆紮起來的書上，逐一用各自的 母語朗誦自己的作品。台上的布幕打出中英雙語詩句，並 配上繪畫或攝影。兩個小時的朗誦會，誠為一場視聽效果 俱備的文化饗宴，為香港帶來一個充滿詩意的晚上。 北島教授說：「除了這類定期的國際詩歌節之外，我們還 將舉辦多種形式的活動，包括朗誦會、講座和工作坊，讓 詩歌成為我們精神生活的日常形態。」 T he Mexican poet Octavio Paz wrote: ‘Between revolution and religion, poetry is the other voice. Its voice is other because it is the voice of the passions and of visions. It is other-worldly and this-worldly, of days long gone and of this very day, and antiquity without dates…. All poets in the moments, long or short, of poetry, if they are really poets, hear the other voice.’ The sky of Hong Kong was filled with the other voice in late November 2009. The Centre for East Asian Studies (CEAS) organized, in collaboration with partners on and off campus, the International Poetry Nights in Hong Kong, a four-day event filled with cultural and academic activities. Professor Bei Dao from CEAS said, ‘Hong Kong is able to furnish the space for the other voice because of its unique historical background, its political and cultural dynamics, its international and geographical niche, as well as the coexistence of multiple races and languages in Hong Kong society. International Poetry Nights in Hong Kong, I believe, is not merely a Hong Kong cultural event; it belongs to the entire Chinese-speaking world. In this sense, Hong Kong, despite being situated on the periphery of China, may become a centre of Chinese culture.’ The main objectives of this event are to put Hong Kongers in touch with local and international poetry, to remind society that poetry still plays an important role in our contemporary, material world, to enrich the literary experience of Hong Kong readers, and to enliven imagination and creativity in local education, and by doing so, hopefully bring Hong Kong a step closer to being a cultural metropolis. International Poetry Nights comprised academic and cultural activities, including three seminars, five poetry recitals and a forum. There were 14 leading poets in attendance, seven from abroad. They were Gary Snyder, the guru of American poetry; Eliot Weinberger, an American essayist, poet and translator; Ahmad Abdul Muti Hijazi of Egypt, a leading poet of the Arabic world; Takahashi Mutsuo, a foremost Japanese poet of the post-war period; Luljeta Lleshanaku, Albanian poet; Kurt Drawert of Germany; and Coral Bracho, a famous Mexican poet. Joining this stellar cast were Zhai Yongming and Ouyang Jianghe from the mainland, Hung Hung from Taiwan, and Hong Kong’s Ye Si, Wu Yin-ching, Liu Wai- tong and Bei Dao. The recital of a poem by Du Fu, a famous Tang poet, by students of the Diocesan Boys’ School kicked off the Opening Ceremony and Poetry Recitation that took place on the evening of 26 November at the Teaching Complex at Western Campus. The poets read their poems in their mother tongues, seated on piles of bundled books on stage, as paintings and photos accompanied by Chinese and English translations of the lines appeared on a screen. The two-hour event was a visual and audio feast. Professor Bei Dao said, ‘In addition to international poetry festivals, which will take place on a regular basis in the future, we will also organize other types of activities, including poetry readings, seminars and workshops, so that poetry may become a staple of our spiritual life.’ 日本詩人高橋睦郎誦讀其作品 Japanese poet Takahashi Mutsuo reads his poems