By Nancy T. Lu
An alma mater always welcomes back with enormous pride the visiting alumni especially graduates who have gone on to become
great achievers in their chosen careers.
Last July 9, the Chiang Kai-shek College in
Manila warmly celebrated the return in spirit of the award-winning poet Yue Qu
Liao 月典了
(Bartolome Tan Chua 蔡景龍). The occasion with
local and foreign Chinese language poets in full attendance proved that the late
Philippine-born talent in Chinese verse writing has continued to live in the
hearts and minds of his many friends and admirers, including his well-known
contemporary poets as well as fans and followers from the younger generation.
The awarding of the third batch of winners
of the Yue Qu Liao Youth Modern Chinese Poetry Competition dominated the event
which unfolded only two days before his 5th death anniversary.
The Yue Qu Liao Foundation which was
established after the death of the Gawad Pambansang Alagad ni Balagtas awardee
of the Writers Union of the Philippines five years ago launched the poetry
contest, attracting once every two years young poets to submit entries and
learn from the critiques and evaluations of older and experienced members of
the local Chinese literati.
Zhi Shui (real name Yan Xu) led this year’s
winners at the Yue Qu Liao Youth Poetry Awards with his poem, “Old House.” “Dream
Searching” by An Ran (Shih Ya Wen) garnered second place and “Straw Rope” by
Shi Nai Pan picked up third honor.．
Honorable mention went to “Mountain Peak”
by Zhang Mu Hui (Wang Li Jiao), “Mahal Kita” by Hong Zhong (Qiu Hong Zhong), “Nostalgia
for the Past” by Liu Yun (Zheng Zhi Qin), and “Growing Up” by Ru Guo (Nian Yen
Xin).
Thirty-nine aspiring young writers
submitted 111 poems in this year’s contest. Each contestant was encouraged to
enter at least five poems. The final winners were 21 to 31 years of age.
Dr. William Chua, Yue Qu Liao’s
cardiologist brother who happens to be a painter and sculptor by avocation,
designed the stainless trophy handed out to the top three awardees this year.
The late poet’s Chinese nom de plume meaning “the moon in a waxing or waning
crescent stage” inspired the design.
Yue Qu Liao, renowned for his published
writings, co-founded with his close poet friends the Thousand Island Poetry
Association in 1985, going on to help organize poetry forums as well as invite
famous poets from China and Taiwan to share insights on poetry writing and
reading at lectures to keep alive interest in creating modern Chinese poems.
The Thousand Island Poetry Association publishes
on the first Wednesday of every month an entire page of poems in the
widely-circulated newspaper World News to encourage local poets to write.
Members of this leading group of poets in Metro Manila gather also in the
evening on this day for poetry appreciation activities like reading of selected
works as well as exchanges of ideas on poetry style and technique.
Yue Qu Liao’s Chinese verses and stanzas in
his inimitable style have moved and excited countless readers, even intriguing
them to pause and reflect on his amazing creative imagery and great sensitivity
to nuances of life and living. His emotional outpourings have time and again
revealed a depth of feelings so powerful as proven by the tears that flow down
the cheeks of his touched readers.
Rosalinda Ong Chua, his essayist wife,
confessed that getting acquainted with upperclassman Yue Qu Liao and responding
to his electrifying approach and offer of friendship one fine day 50 years ago at
the CKS College campus opened up the beginning of truly exhilarating episodes
in her life. He looted her heart with his very romantic way with words.
Memories of this marriage partner of 45
years have inspired her to write revealing and moving essays. Life without him
at her side in the last five years has made her more determined than ever to work
and pass on his legacy in promoting interest in the literary field primarily
through meaningful activities of the Yue Qu Liao Foundation and the Thousand
Island Poetry Association.
The loving pair published together “Different
Dreams, Same Bed” in 2007. He suggested at that time coming out with “Different
Dreams, Same Bed (Part 2)” on their 50th wedding anniversary this year.
With him gone, she still managed to launch a back-to-back expanded edition of
his poems and her essays last July 9.
A mini memorabilia of Yue Qu Liao which was
part of a poetry exhibit by senior members of the Thousand Island Poetry
Association included one last love poem penned by the poet for his beloved bedfellow.
He described love as cutting a finger and turning it into a branch to burn and
keep her warm in the deep recess of her heart on a cold winter day. Dr. William
Chua painstakingly created for the exhibit a diorama of his eldest brother as
calligrapher working on this classic Yue Qu Liao poem.
“Poem Draft for Father,” another exhibited poem
by Yue Qu Liao, described a first draft of poetry that was read carefully by
his father. With his parent gone, noted the writer, the piece of paper was
taken and folded by an unappreciative child into a boat and a plane. The verses could be paraphrased to mean that the beautiful culture of Chinese poetry was
lost on the young, perhaps hinting a generation gap.
Words, words, words moved and warmed hearts
at the memorable gathering of poets. Definitely a strong presence was the
spirit of Yue Qu Liao. His little granddaughter Martina Bernice Chua even
overcame earlier stage fright to sing ardently his verses on self-reflection.
