The Black Cat by Min-Zhen, 18th Century, ink on paper, Princeton, University Art Museum. Min Zhen, a Chinese painter, has been associated with the Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou, a group of eight Chinese painters of the 18th century who were known for rejecting orthodox ideas about painting in favour of a style they deemed expressive and individualist.
the immortalisation of everything—for Yongbo
万物的不朽——致永波
existence is this repeated stillness;
a bright moonbeam still talking to poetry,
white continuously falling has itself perpetuity
the space is suspended in a falling grace.
A green dot of light on a black screen
has the echo of moonbeams, speaking,
the words falling but they stay in the flux of song,
like polished obsidian rocks still conjuring brightness,
stone age daylight shivers in darkness, like a
purring cat, cold in the night, coming back
endlessly viewing itself again in black glass
25th May 2025
“our poems will live in our place, quietly breathing in the depths of time”
Ma Yongbo, 24th May 2025
Response Poetry By Helen Pletts 海伦·普莱茨
Response Poetry Translated by Ma Yongbo 马永波
万物的不朽——致永波
the immortalisation of everything—for Yongbo
存在是这重复的静止；
一缕皎洁的月光仍在与诗歌交谈，
持续飘落的白自有其永恒
空间悬浮于临在的恩典之中。
黑屏上一个绿色的光点
带着月光的回声，正在诉说，
词语飘落却停驻在歌声的流波里，
如打磨过的黑曜石仍在召唤光明，
石器时代的日光在黑暗中颤动，
像一只低吟的猫，寒夜里归来
在黑色玻璃中不断打量着自身
2025年5月25日，海伦·普莱茨
“我们的诗将代替我们活着，在时光深处静静地呼吸”（马永波，2025年5月24日语录）
Helen Pletts with Sasha Pletts, 8th February 2025, Cambridge, UK Planet Earth, the Universe
the immortalisation of everything — In the Same Theme as Helen
一颗白矮星——可会有满头银发和暮年的慈祥
Only mortal humans yearn for immortality
only while alive does immortality hold meaning
How to imagine a self that does not exist
having existed is a miracle, yet its origin remains unknown
Five billion years later, the sun, a red giant, will devour
our predetermined orbit, our precious and tiny Earth
will turn to cinder, collapsing endlessly into darkness itself
a white dwarf — will it have silver hair and the kindness of old age?
But mercy is this gently flowing moment
the wind coiled around fingertips, and breath that needs no direction
Marble lips will no longer utter responses of love
nor defend hatred; unlogged accounts, overgrown mailboxes
Perhaps a few raindrops will fall before the old mountain
perhaps a few sighs will fall beyond the starry sky
Why measure ourselves by the scale of light?
each person is a suspended brushstroke
Unread messages still travel through the dark cosmos
no echo, no purpose, no meaning that belongs to humanity
4 p.m., August 11, 2025, such a heartless poem, Helen would be very sad to read it.
Response Poetry By Helen Pletts 海伦·普莱茨
Response Poetry Translated by Ma Yongbo 马永波
Original Pages from Ma Yongbo’s ‘lion notebook’ (named by Helen) in his own handwriting, he and Helen plan to work together lifelong.
万物的不朽——与海伦同题
the immortalisation of everything — In the Same Theme as Helen
唯有必死的人类才会渴望不朽
唯有活着的时候，不朽才有意义
如何想象一个不存在的自己
曾经存在便是奇迹，只是不知其由来
五十亿年后，太阳的红巨星将会吞噬
我们预定的轨道，我们珍贵又渺小的地球
将化为焦炭，不断地向黑暗自身坍塌
一颗白矮星——可会有满头银发和暮年的慈祥
而仁慈便是这轻轻流转的瞬间
缠绕在指尖的风，和不需要方向的气息
大理石的嘴唇将不再能发出爱的回应
也不再能为仇恨辩护，无人登录的账号，长草的邮箱
或许会有三两点雨滴，落在旧日山前
或许会有三两声叹息，落在星天之外
何需以光的尺度衡量我们自身
每个人都是悬而未落的笔锋
无人阅读的信息依然在黑暗的宇宙空间旅行
没有回声，没有目的，没有属于人类的意义
2025年8月11日下午四点，这真是一首无情的诗，海伦看了会很伤心
Ma Yongbo with warrior hair, 24th June 2025, Harbin, China, Planet Earth, the Universe
Detail of a Painting : Two Horses by Hai Weng 海翁. Ma Yongbo 马永波 purchased this painting in Harbin’s Chinese Baroque Cultural Street also known as Lao Daowai (老道外), and gifted the ‘Two Horses’ from himself to Helen Pletts 海伦·普莱茨 , 15th April 2025. https://internationaltimes.it/freedom-in-spring-for-helen-春天的自在-给海伦/
IRMA KURTI is an Albanian poet, writer, lyricist, journalist, and translator and has been writing since she was a child. She is a naturalized Italian and lives in Bergamo, Italy. All her books are dedicated to the memory of her beloved parents, Hasan Kurti and Sherife Mezini, who have supported and encouraged every step of her literary path.
Kurti has won numerous literary prizes and awards in Albania, Greece, Italy, Switzerland, USA, Canada, Philippines, Lebanon,and China. In 2020, she became the honorary president of WikiPoesia, the encyclopedia of poetry. Irma Kurti is a member of the jury for several literary competitions in Italy. She is also a translator for the Ithaca Foundation in Spain.
Irma Kurti has published more than 110 works, including books of poetry, fiction, and translations. She is one of the most translated and published Albanian poets. Her books have been translated and published in 23 countries.
‘Dear Helen, here is the link to Alessandria Today Magazine, where your bilingual poem was published today (Italian-English).
Your bilingual poem (Albanian – English) was published in the “Destinacioni” Journal (Albania).
https://gazetadestinacioni.al/helen-pletts-mbreteria-e-bashkuar-perktheu-irma-kurti/
Hugs from Italy, Irma Kurti”
A great big thank you to Irma Kurti for her Italian and Albanian translations of ‘ love letter to a blue shirt—for my best friend Yongbo’ . Here are the English, Chinese, Italian and Albanian versions:
love letter to a still blue shirt—for my best friend Yongbo
致一件沉静蓝衫的情书——给我最好的朋友永波
that hasn’t caught the breeze yet, that is not fluttering,
though in the sleeves there is separate movement; sleeves hanging like the
double pendulum of a steady clock.
Long, thin arms will fill them
Stretch them around you and lean on to their elbows,
Extending thin fingers into a pen.
The colour is as unobtrusive as morning mist rising over the back of the city fox,
that must still be there,
first crossing my path at midnight,
as persistent as nature is in cities,
it’s gentle feet on the same pavement.
And somewhere a boy is constructing his future from blue woven thread,
nevertheless; stretching his arms
2nd April 2025
written after Yongbo explained to me the significance of an event which subsequently altered the direction of his early poetry career and his university selection : the distraction of a surprise love letter placed in his desk by an admirer, shortly before college entrance examination , with a persistent high fever, he performed poorly in the exam and failed to get into the Department of Chemistry at Peking University, which he had long been longing for. Since then, the world has lost a useful chemical engineer and gained a poet who believes that “uselessness is the greatest usefulness”(from Zhuangzi). A blue robe is a typical Ancient Chinese reference to a poet.
Response Poetry By Helen Pletts 海伦·普莱茨
Response Poetry Translated by Ma Yongbo 马永波
致一件沉静蓝衫的情书——给我最好的朋友永波
love letter to a still blue shirt—for my best friend Yongbo
它尚未捕捉到微风，也没有飘动，
尽管衣袖中有着各自的动静；
衣袖悬垂，如同静止时钟的双摆。
修长的手臂将会把它们填满，
伸开，环绕你，倚在肘边，
纤细的食指延伸成一支笔。
这颜色如同晨雾般不引人注目，
在城市狐狸的背上缓缓升起，
那只狐狸一定还在那里，
午夜时分第一次与我不期而遇，
如同城市里的自然一样执着，
它轻柔的脚步踏在同一条人行道上。
与此同时，某个地方，一个男孩
正用蓝色织线构筑着未来；
伸展开他的双臂……
2025年4月2日
https://internationaltimes.it/ma-yongbo-poetry-road-trip-summer-tour-2025-volume-18/
LETTERA D’AMORE A UNA CAMICIA ANCORA BLU
Dedicato al mio migliore amico Yongbo
che non ha ancora preso il vento, che non svolazza,
anche se nelle maniche c’è un movimento separato;
maniche che pendono come il doppio pendolo di un orologio costante.
Braccia lunghe e sottili le riempiranno.
Allungale intorno a te e appoggiati sui gomiti,
estendendo le dita sottili in una penna.
Il colore è discreto come la nebbia mattutina
che sale sulla schiena della volpe di città,
che deve essere ancora lì,
incrociando per la prima volta il mio cammino a mezzanotte,
persistente come la natura nelle città,
i suoi piedi delicati sullo stesso marciapiede.
E da qualche parte un ragazzo sta costruendo il suo futuro
con fili blu intrecciati, comunque; allungando le sue braccia.
Response Poetry by Helen Pletts, Italian translation by Irma Kurti 2025
____________________________________________________
LETËR DASHURIE PËR NJË KËMISHË ENDE BLU
Për mikun tim më të mirë Yongbo
që ende s’ka marrë fluturimin, as nuk lëkundet,
megjithëse në mëngë perceptohet një lëvizje e veçantë;
ato varen si lavjerrësi i dyfishtë i një ore të qëndrueshme.
Krahë të gjatë dhe të hollë do t’i mbushin ato
Shtriji rreth vetes dhe mbështetu në bërrylat e tyre,
Duke prekur me gishtat e hollë një stilolaps.
Ngjyra është aq e paqartë si mjegulla e mëngjesit
që ngrihet mbi shpinën e dhelprës së qytetit,
që duhet të jetë ende aty,
e para që më pret rrugën në mesnatë,
aq e qëndrueshme sa ç’është natyra në qytete,
këmbët e saj të buta në të njëjtin trotuar.
Diku një djalë po ndërton të ardhmen e tij
duke e endur me fije blu, e megjithatë; duke shtrirë krahët e tij
Response Poetry by Helen Pletts, Albanian translation by Irma Kurti 2025
Specific photographic images/graphic art under individual copyright © to either Ma Yongbo 马永波 or Helen Pletts 海伦·普莱茨 or Irma Kurti
.