Liu Mengwei

(Painting by Xiong Changqing)
 

    Liu Mengwei (1900-1926), formerly known as Guojun, was a native of Yimen, Chengguan Town, Anxiang County。When he was a teenager, he was like "a child without a home, drifting like a rootless canopy" (Liu Xiang).。In the early 1920s, he studied in the first normal school of Hunan Province, and loved literature and art. Influenced by the "May Fourth" new culture Movement, he participated in the literature research association organized by teachers and students of the school, and published new poems in the supplement of Hunan "Ta Kung Pao"。Later, he went deep into the countryside for social investigation, observation and experience of life。In January 1922, when Hunan warlord Zhao Hengti killed the leaders of the Labor Union Huang Yuan and Pang Renquan, Liu Mengwei wrote the Night of the Death of Huang Yuan and Pang Renquan, expressing his condolences and protesting against the overbearing warlord。In the summer of 1923, together with some people who were influenced by anarchist thoughts, he dreamed of flying freely like a bird, and organized the "Bird Society" in Nanjing, founded the "Bird" Jili, and published a short story "The Poet's Sorrow" in the first issue of the first volume of the magazine.。In May, Liu Mengwei published her famous poem "Kiss Trilogy" in the quarterly magazine "Creation", which was read among readers, especially young readers。In 1924, he published a collection of poems called The Flower of Youth.。

    In the summer of 1925, Liu Mengwei met Zhu Xiang, an important poet of the modern metrical poetry school, in Nanjing and became a close friend。Soon, they went to Beijing together and devoted themselves to the creation and research of Chinese new poetry。1926 was the peak period for Liu Mengwei to practice his own ideas of poetic reform and create new metrical poetry. He and Zhu Xiang and others founded new metrical poetry in "Morning Post", published not only his own new poetry but also his article "Yesterday Jin Ming in the New Poetry Circle", which made a general liquidation of China's new poetry circle。Within half a year，Liu Mengwei has published more than 100 poems such as "Wan Animal Garden Bottom Spring", "What I Need is not Love" and "Birthday Lament"，In the form of branches, syllables, rhymes and so on, fruitful exploration has been carried out，It attracted the attention of famous poets such as Wen Yiduo, Jian Xianai, Xu Zhimo and Zhu Xiang，He often discussed the development path of new poetry with him as the center，It naturally formed the new metrical school of poetry at that time。In September, before Liu Mengwei's Lonely Hong was officially published, poverty and illness took the young poet's life。

    Liu Mengwei's poems express the rich implication of life in the lyricism, which is real but sad。His attention to the form of poetry is affirmed by people, Zhu Xiang commented that he is "the general pioneer of the Chinese new poetic form movement", comprehensive "rhyme, verse, verse preface" three aspects, the first to create achievements, to push Liu Mengwei。

    "Wan Animal Garden Bottom Spring" is a demonstration of Liu Mengwei's new poetry。

    Works by Liu Mengwei

Wan Animal garden bottom spring
 

The green water of spring is like the stripes of green snakes,
Snaking across Bridges and Bridges;
After being kissed by a passionate spring breeze,
Microwave is like a beautiful woman's smile。
The beautiful birds inspire joy,
Singing to spring in the sunshine and gold;
Said they had a better tone than a lover's
Love songs are more beautiful,
You can trust me？

Grass velvety by the long running water,
Willow silk droop Wan with soft dream;
Flowers like butterflies floating in the wind to send sweet rain
Is the heart of spring,
Is a little red。

The red and the maiden's tears fell,
In general make me cherish and pity!
I want to pick up their remains,
Take it back to warn beautiful Mary。