© by Zhao Zhenkai (b. 1949), as Bei Dao
Translation © by Bonnie S. McDougall (b. 1941) and by Chen Maiping (b. 1952)

Language: English  after the Chinese (中文) 
When I whet the knife with dawn’s faint light
 [ ... ]
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Composition:

    Set to music by Liza Lim (b. 1966), "Crowds of the living", 2018 [ soprano, percussion and chorus ], from opera Atlas of the Sky, no. 5

Text Authorship:

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This text was added to the website: 2026-02-14
Line count: 10
Word count: 51