Photo by Ma Yongbo 马永波 of Gur-e-Amir, the mausoleum of the Turco-Mongol conqueror Timur (also known as Tamerlane) in Samarkand, Uzbechistan, Planet Earth, The Universe
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gur-e-Amir
Ma Yongbo 马永波 was on a visit to Samarkand and Almaty with his lifelong friend Tong Xiaofeng 仝晓锋 to collect their awards at The 6th Silk Road International Poetry Festival:
Nearly 100 poets from the Silk Road gathered together for the 6th Silk Road International Poetry Festival Award Ceremony, Almaty, Kazakhstan, Planet Earth, The Universe (Ma Yongbo is wearing a white shirt, first from the left, back row). Tong Xiaofeng is wearing a dark blue shirt, second from the right, back row)
Ma Yongbo 马永波 was on a visit to Samarkand and Almaty with his lifelong friend Tong Xiaofeng 仝晓锋 to collect their awards at The 6th Silk Road International Poetry Festival:
The Egyptian Arab Oscar Poetry Award was presented to six Chinese poets: Wang Fangwen, Ling Xiaochen, Dong Faliang, Ma Yongbo, Liu Xunfu, and Cao Shui.
The Silk Road International Poets Federation Laureate Poet Award was presented to Ulugbek Yesdaulet (Kazakhstan), Ashraf Aboul-Yazid (Egypt), Altynai Temirova (Kyrgyzstan), Usmon Azim (Uzbekistan), Kurbandurdy Orazov (Turkmenistan), Nurduran Duman (Türkiye), Natalia Kharlampieva (Yakutia, Russia), Abdukahor Kosim (Tajikistan), Eldar Akhadov (Azerbaijan), Narek Paponts Arakelyan (Armenia), Saren Tuya (China), Ma Yongbo (China), Hong Santai (China), Ling Xiaochen (China), Liu Xunfu (China), and Dai Yudong (China).
The Golden Camel Award recognised twenty poets: Gulnar Salykbay, Baibota Koshym-Nogai, Maraltay Raiymbekuly, and Ongaigul Turzhan of Kazakhstan; Akbar Ryskulov, Kyalbek Urmanbetov, and Dogdurbek Yusupov of Kyrgyzstan; Rustam Musurman, Sirozhiddin Sayyid, and Khurshid Davron of Uzbekistan; Nikolai Uola of Yakutia, Russia; and Wang Guilin, Zhou Zi, Leng Xianqiao, Lan Fan, Xu Wanlian, Tong Xiaofeng, Pei Chunfang, Lian Tao, and Hong Jiang of China.
“In the morning, I took a cable car ride to explore the snow-capped mountains of Almaty, which offered breathtaking views” Ma Yongbo 马永波, 27th July 2026, Almaty, Kazakhstan, Planet Earth, The Universe
Ode to Samarkand, In Memory of Antiquity
撒马尔罕怀古
Camel bells of the Silk Road drift across remote wastelands,
The ancient city of Kangju lies slumbering beneath the sunset glow.
Blue domes stretch like an ocean, frozen through a thousand years,
Glazed brick hues glow like rosy clouds, radiating grace to all nations far and wide.
Ulugh Beg’s observatory once probed the boundless cosmos,
Timur’s mausoleum stands firm amid the vast wilderness.
Clouds and smoke drift past the crossroads of civilisations,
The lingering charm of the prosperous Tang shall forever endure, fragrant and bright.
Written July 24, 2026, Hilton Hotel Samarkand
Response Poetry By Ma Yongbo 马永波
Response Poetry Translated by Ma Yongbo 马永波
撒马尔罕怀古
Ode to Samarkand, In Memory of Antiquity
丝路驼铃越远荒，
康居旧邑枕斜阳。
穹蓝似海凝千载，
砖彩如霞映万邦。
兀鲁观星穷浩渺，
帖木遗冢镇苍茫。
文明交汇烟云过，
盛唐遗韵永流芳。
20260724于撒马尔罕希尔顿花园酒店
Blue ceramic detail photo taken by Ma Yongbo 马永波, Samarkand, Uzbechistan, Planet Earth, The Universe
when i reconfigure the sky as ceramics—for Yongbo
当我将天空重塑为瓷釉——致永波
the turrets and onions of minarets as blue counterparts,
blue as in smallest minerals evoking earthly symmetry.
The sky conjoined with enamel surfaces,
disassociating blue fractals re-associating with the human eye.
Were we blue or blue of infinity?
Were we bluer under sky or sunlight unlimited?
I stand under the shade of towers
their separating pillars thinner in the glare.
When we put blue together with the sun
we almost believed again in light’s infinity,
the desert shining the white light
of white sheet stretching away from us
24th July 2026, Yongbo sends photos of Samarkand, the temple of a king, the Gur-e-Amir, constructed of blue ceramics, Shah-i-Zinda
Response Poetry By Helen Pletts 海伦·普莱茨
Response Poetry Translated by Ma Yongbo 马永波
Photo taken by Ma Yongbo 马永波 of Tuglu Tekin Mausoleum (Amir Hussein) Built in 1376, dedicated to Amir Hussain’s mother. Later Amir Hussein was buried here. The portal is decorated with carved glazed terracotta.
当我将天空重塑为瓷釉——致永波
when i reconfigure the sky as ceramics—for Yongbo
海伦·普莱茨
宣礼塔的塔楼与洋葱形穹顶以蓝色相应，
细碎矿石里的蓝唤起尘世的对称之美。
天穹与琉璃釉面融和，
消散的蓝色分形重新映入眼帘。
我们自身是蓝色，抑或是无垠之蓝？
苍穹或是无尽日光之下，我们是否更加蔚蓝？
我伫立在塔楼阴影之下，
分割空间的廊柱，在强光里变得纤细。
当我们将蓝与日光相融，
我们几乎再度相信光芒永无穷尽。
荒漠泛起白光，
素白长卷自我们眼前铺展而去。
2026年7月23日，永波发来撒马尔罕影像：
帝王帖木儿陵，以蓝色瓷砖构筑而成，还有沙希辛达墓群。
“While in Almaty, I encountered a remarkable young poet, Arailym Murataliyeva (who also received The Silver Camel Poetry Award), we recited one of her love poems in Kazakh and Chinese on the spot using English as our medium.” Ma Yongbo 马永波 27th July 2026
ЖАҢБЫРЛЫ КЕШ
Сәттерге оралуға кешегі өткен
Арада өтеді енді неше көктем?
Жаңбырда сені ойладым, аяулы адам,
Ғаламның бір бұрышын мекен еткен.
Демеймін қолым жетпес шалғайдасың,
Мендегі тағдырдасың, маңдайдасың.
Сен иісін ұнатқан Гүл болайын,
Кеудеңдегі Көктемің сарғаймасын.
Сендегі тазалыққа іңкәр еткен,
Өмірді ойладым ба тұмса деп мен?
Көбелек қанатындай хаттарыңның
Самалы дидарымды жұмсақ өпкен…
Жолортада кездестік сәл кешігіп…
Бойтұмарым секілді болды есімің.
Ешкім жүре алмаған жолым үшін
Ешкімнен сұрамаймын мен кешірім!
Өзіңді салып еске мына жаңбыр,
Ғаламды тазартқандай күнәдан бір.
Бәлкім, ол сен шығарсың өзіңді аңсап
Аспанның көңілінен құлаған жыр.
By Arailym Murataliyeva
阿拉伊蕾姆·穆拉塔利耶娃
雨中黄昏
多少个春天匆匆流转，
时光再也回不到昨日的瞬间。
雨中，我想起你，温柔的人，
静静栖居在尘世的角落。
不必说你远在天涯，遥不可及，
你是我命中注定，刻在眉宇。
愿我化作你钟爱的花朵，
不让你心底的春光枯萎老去。
我倾心爱慕你澄澈的灵魂，
常常思索，生命本是一场相逢。
你的信笺如蝴蝶舒展双翼，
温柔微风，轻吻我的面容……
我们在路上相逢，姗姗来迟，
你的名字，成为我贴身护佑的信物。
至于这条无人能踏足的心路，
我不必向任何人求得宽恕！
就让这场雨，唤起对你的思念，
仿佛洗尽世间一切尘罪。
或许，你正是那首从天心飘落的诗，
满怀思念，奔赴与我相会。
Arailym Murataliyeva 阿拉伊蕾姆·穆拉塔利耶娃
translated into Chinese by Ma Yongbo 马永波
Rainy Dusk
How many springs have slipped away,
Time can never return to yesterday.
In rain I think of you, my gentle one,
Dwelling quietly in a corner of the world.
I will not say you are far out of reach,
You are my fate, marked upon my brow.
Let me become the flower you adore,
Lest the spring in your heart wither now.
I cherish the purity deep within you,
I ponder life, a destined appointment.
Your letters spread like butterfly wings,
Soft wind brushes my features light and true…
We met halfway, a little overdue,
Your name’s a talisman I carry through.
For this path no other soul can tread,
I seek no pardon from the world in view.
Let this rain bring your image to my mind,
Washing away all mortal sins of mankind.
Perhaps you are the verse falling from heaven,
Longing for me, drifting on the wind.
Arailym Murataliyeva 阿拉伊蕾姆·穆拉塔利耶娃
Translated into English by Ma Yongbo 马永波
Arailym Murataliyeva (born 31 December 1997 in Shymkent, Kazakhstan) is a Kazakh poet. She is a member of the Writers’ Union of Kazakhstan and the International TÜRKSOY Writers’ Union (Türksoy Yazarlar Birliği).
She was awarded the TÜRKSOY commemorative badge in recognition of her participation in the International Turkic World Poetry Festival.
She is also a laureate of the International “Jashyl Aalam” Poetry Festival, held in Kyrgyzstan.
She is the recipient of the Silver Camel Award at the 6th Silk Road International Poetry and Art Festival.
The Silver Camel Poetry Awarded to Arailym Murataliyeva at The 6th Silk Road International Poetry Festival, 26th July 2026
Tong Xiaofeng 仝晓锋 receiving his Golden Camel Poetry Award at the 6th Silk Road International Poetry Festival, 26th July 2026
Ma Yongbo 马永波 receiving The Egyptian Arab Oscar Poetry Award at the 6th Silk Road International Poetry Festival, 26th July 2026. The “Honorary Oscar Certificate” is the highest honour and most prestigious award bestowed by the Golden Thinker Forum for Poetry and Literature upon creative individuals who have left an indelible mark on the conscience of Arab culture. It is a celebration of the masters of the word who have crafted golden necklaces from letters, enriching the literary landscape with their refined intellectual output and distinguished creativity, ensuring their names remain beacons illuminating the paths of literature and poetry.
- 颁发机构：黄金思想诗歌文学论坛（GoldenThinker Forum for Poetry and Literature）
- 奖项名称：荣誉奥斯卡证书（HonoraryOscar Certificate）——该论坛将其称为“最高荣誉和最崇高的表彰”
- 授予对象：马永波博士（Dr. Ma Yongbo），表彰其在诗歌和文学创作领域的卓越贡献
- 签发人：论坛主席萨尔瓦·阿布·阿里博士（Dr. SalwaAbo Ali）
The Egyptian Arab Oscar Poetry Award presented to Ma Yongbo 马永波, at the 6th Silk Road International Poetry Festival on the 26th July 2026 held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan and Almaty, Kazakhstan, Planet Earth, The Universe. The Festival poets journeyed together between the two destinations by sleeper train.
The Silk Road International Poets Federation Laureate Poet Award presented to Ma Yongbo 马永波.
“At midnight, we sampled some local beer, SARBAST, in the lobby. It’s reputed to be the best in Uzbekistan. It costs 50,000 som, approximately 28 yuan. The waiter ordered takeout, and I gave him and another waiter 10,000 som each as a small token of appreciation. Everyone seemed pleased.😁🍻” Ma Yongbo 马永波 24th July 2026
午夜在大堂尝尝当地啤酒SARBAST，据说是乌兹别克斯坦最好的，五万苏，约28元。服务生叫的外卖，我给了他和另一位服务生各一万苏作为小小的感谢，大家都挺高兴。😁🍻 马永波 2026年7月24日
Ode to the 6th Silk Road International Poetry Festival
By Ma Yongbo 马永波
Chinese and English https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/bZQyykCk9IUliiQPKXSHqg
“It has been a week of certificates!
I received this news this week from Yongbo 永波 by WhatsApp on wednesday “Tan Yantong, the chief editor of Hong Kong Literature and Arts Magazine told me today that the poems of yours that I translated will be published in the 5th issue, and you are awarded this prize certificate.”
“Warm congratulations to Helen Pletts on winning the Hong Kong Literature and Arts Award, many thanks to Mr. Tan Yantong and all distinguished members of the jury. Helen’s reputation continues to grow within the international poetry circle, and this honour is well deserved.” Ma Yongbo 马永波 22nd July 2026
祝贺海伦·普莱茨Helen Pletts荣获香港文艺奖，感谢谭延桐先生及评委会诸位贤达，海伦在国际诗界声誉日隆，可谓实至名归。
“Ma Yongbo 马永波 carries my poetic voice in Chinese and I am greatly honoured to have my poetry translated by him, his ability is truly unique.
Ma Yongbo 马永波 was born in 1964, Ph.D, representative of Chinese avant-garde poetry, and a leading scholar in Anglo-American poetry. He is the founder of Difficult writing and objectified poetics. He is also the first translator to introduce British and American postmodern poetry into Chinese.
He has published over eighty original works and translations since 1986 included 9 poetry collections.He focused on translating and teaching Anglo-American poetry and prose including the work of Dickinson, Whitman, Stevens, Pound, Amy Lowell,Williams, Ashbery and Rosanna Warren. He published a complete translation of Moby Dick, which has sold over 600,000 copies. He teaches at Nanjing University of Science and Technology. The Collected Poems of Ma Yongbo 马永波 (four volumes, Eastern Publishing Centre, 2024) comprising 1178 poems, celebrate 40 years of writing poetry.
Thank you Yongbo for all your dedication to poetry, including my own ! I celebrate you !”
Helen Pletts, 24th July 2026
Helen Pletts’ HONG KONG LITERATURE AND ARTS AWARD from Hong Kong Literature Magazine who are publishing Ma Yongbo’s 马永波 translations of Helen Pletts’ poetry.
Ma Yongbo 马永波, Nanjing and Helen Pletts 海伦·普莱茨, Cambridge, Planet Earth, The Universe. Their first bi-lingual book ‘Night-Shining White’ is to be published Autumn 2026 by Experiments in Fiction, Editor Ingrid Wilson. Their dream is to both be present for their book launch in Cambridge in October 2026.
Helen Pletts 海伦·普莱茨
helenpletts.com is the English co-translator of Chinese poet Ma Yongbo 马永波, her official Chinese translator. She is a committee member of CB1 Poetry, the established monthly poetry reading event in central Cambridge UK, which has organised poetry readings for many years. Her work is published in International Times, Magma, Ink Sweat and Tears, Orbis, Vox Populi, etc and has been translated into Chinese, Bangla, Greek, Vietnamese, Serbian, Korean, Arabic, Italian, Albanian, Romanian and Spanish.
Ma Yongbo 马永波 is the official Chinese Translator of Helen Pletts 海伦·普莱茨 and his Chinese translations of her poetry are published in New World Poetry, Literary World, Prose Poetry, Silver, Poetry Reference, Beidou International Poetry Forum, Wordy Seon, Poetry Appreciation, and Hong Kong Literature Magazine.
Ma Yongbo’s 马永波 inscription in the guestbook of the Almaty AUEZOV Institute, 26th July 2026, Almaty, Kazakhstan, Planet Earth, The Universe.
Reflections on the inscription in the guestbook of the Almaty AUEZOV Institute
阿拉木图阿乌埃佐夫研究所留言簿题句有感
A scroll bearing a message is sent to distant lands.
The long wind billows across the Silk Road.
Hanyun traverses countless mountains.
Poetry bridges the vast expanse of all realms.
Reflecting deeply on the world’s workings throughout the day.
With a pure heart and unwavering purpose, we venture forth to distant lands.
A meeting place of East and West cultural heritages.
Let us cherish the beauty of mountains and rivers, and the passage of time.
Written and Translated by Ma Yongbo 马永波, Almaty, July 26, 2026.
阿拉木图阿乌埃佐夫研究所留言簿题句有感
Reflections on the inscription in the guestbook of the Almaty AUEZOV Institute
一纸留铭寄远疆，
长风漫卷丝路章。
瀚云横越千重岭，
诗语相通万域觞。
永日凝思观世相，
初心载道赴遐方。
东西文脉相逢处，
不负山河岁月长。
2026.7.26 阿拉木图
All images and poetry under individual copyright © to Ma Yongbo 马永波 and Helen Pletts 海伦·普莱茨 and Arailym Murataliyeva.
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