Poetry in motion: Internet arrests with an artistic touch.

Kong Yuping

"Outside surface, window's continuous rain,
My innermost feelings have filled the chill in the air.
The World loafs which in this spirit breathes,
The humanity here lives easily and comfortably?"

China is now cracking down on cyber-dissidents who dare to pursue the art of poetry online - just this week, Kong Youping and Ning Xianhua, were sentenced respectively to 15 and 12 years in prison. "Subversion of state power" was the charge, for posting articles on the Internet in support of the Chinese Democratic Party (CDP).

In actuality, all they did was post a handful of poems and writings on various websites and bulletin boards, mainly concerning another protester (Liu Di) who was released in 2003. Is this really something you should be locked up for? Of course not, but China's abysmal human rights record continues to juggernaut into the 21st Century with yet more arrests and false imprisonments.

The CDP, founded in 1998, is an underground opposition party. Around 30 of its activists are currently behind bars - strangely enough, their numbers began hitting jail cells not long after they were formed. Current whereabouts of many of those arrested are currently unknown - indeed, their website looks like its been abandoned for a long time, the forum a pale shadow of non-democracy in action. For those recently arrested, the future looks bleak - many are being denied even the basic right to lodge an appeal.

This time, there are no links to relevant articles, no interesting meanders onto a few worthy websites of mention - just a translation of Kong Yuping's poem and two more names added to the list.

Kong Yuping
We think of you, Liu Ti
(12/10/2003)

Outside surface, window's continuous rain,
My innermost feelings have filled the chill in the air.
The World loafs which in this spirit breathes,
The humanity here lives easily and comfortably?

Facing a cloudy and cold moist world,
Cannot help but make me remember you,
A young delicate female,
A strong resounding name!
- - Yours - - Liu Ti!

As if yesterday we also were chatting,
One night taken by devils!
An awful world is this!
A full monster is this ghost!

Sorrowful, the sob, asks me the mother,
Why do we unexpectedly suffer this devastating?
Is our ancestor not originally intelligent?
Or your descendant originally does not make every effort to succeed?

How long does such life also want?
Our later ages also must continue?
Liu Timen unfortunate destiny,
Whether also will be able to deduce tomorrow?

My misery compatriot!
Again, infatuated not by any means!
Quickly wakes from the nightmare!
Takes up arms together with us!
For free happy tomorrow,
For descendants blessing,
Let us attack the bus jail together!
Rescue us full sisters - - Liu!

In this late autumn dismal season,
Facing so cloudy and cold weather,
The jail is what kind of pitiful!
Liu - - we think of you!
Ask you certainly to treasure oneself!
- - Treasure oneself... ...

Did not know any reason, continuously 5 days comes, here continuously is raining, as if heaven in tears,
The earth is sobbing! Starts from today morning to transfer the goose feathers by the rain heavy snow.

In the weather, how can not let us remember these to suffer distress in the prison for China's democratic enterprise
Brave warriors; How can not let the young female university student which we remember delicate and also contracts the heart disease - -
Is worth young Liu which we respect? ! - - She pays for our mainland China's
democratic enterprise.

The price, the people cannot forget! The history cannot forget! Lets us in this shout to the heavenly one
Sound: "Liu you surely must treasure oneself!"

Translated by Paperghost