“Brother Hu, ” a female interviewer said, “then what’s the point of an interview? Anyone can write something freely. That’s not ability.”
Wang Shuixin also lightly laughed, “Old Hu, to speak the truth, I want to test Little Zhang’s creative ability on the spot today. It seems all his poems in the past were created on the spot. As for the poem’s quality and logic, I’ll reserve my judgment. I don’t believe those good works of his were written on the spot by Little Zhang. It doesn’t agree with reason. Even if it was written on the spot, it couldn’t be done without any stammering, right? And those poems of his had so much logic? And the parallelism was done so well? And since you appreciate this youth so much, I’m testing him this time. So I purposely used my poem to let him follow up. First, it’s to see if he really can compose on the spot, and secondly, to see if Little Zhang really has as much literary skill as people say.”
Hu Fei said, “But to follow up on a classic poem that even entered language textbooks, Little Zhang will…”
Wang Shuixin waved his hand to stop Hu Fei from continuing. He looked at Zhang Ye, “It’s alright, Little Zhang. Take your time to think; there’s no hurry. Hur Hur. At your age, you might not have heard this poem. When you were in high school, the materials for your language class might not have included “Everything”. If you did not catch everything, I can recite it to you again.”
A youth volunteered, “Since you already recited it once, why don’t you let me, Director Wang?”
“Alright, Little Xu, you do it. Hur Hur.” Wang Shuixin was in a good mood. He had been doing administrative work all these years, so for him to once again display his literary works was a rare event. Seeing Zhang Ye remaining silent, and his subordinates looking at him with admiration and respect, Wang Shuixin was very pleased.
The other interviewers and the youth completely ignored Zhang Ye. They knew that it was impossible for Zhang Ye to follow up on the poem. The only reason that they were still in here to interview Zhang Ye was to kiss ass and flatter the Leader. They wanted to see with their own eyes how their Leader defeated Zhang Ye, a newcomer who had been praised for his poetry. Besides, even without the flattering factor, Director Wang did have the absolute ability!
Zhang Ye? A newcomer!
Compared to Director Wang, what was he!?
He wanted to compete with Wang Shuixin in literature and poetry? Wasn’t this do something beyond his ability!?
Director Wang’s “Everything” came about due to his using all his senses to come into maximum contact with the pulse of life. He had used his critical perspective to inspect the interpersonal moral and ethical relations, as well as the sparks that arose when people clashed. He had also subconsciously pondered above love, freedom, joy, suffering, hope and death, which were all common factors of human life. It was one of the best modern poems, and could be said that he had written a poem of such a genre at its peak. Zhang Ye wanted to use the literary insight from “Everything” as a topic to exceed “Everything”? That was impossible!
Well, but it was not that the poem did not have its flaws. If one wanted to pick faults with it, it was probably the reason why it was eventually removed from the language textbooks. The poem was too dark and oppressive. There was no hope in it. This was also why “Everything” was criticized by some people. But the flaws could not obscure the splendor it possessed. This poem was still enjoying a relatively high status in the poetry world. It could be considered a “pessimism” masterpiece.
“Let me recite it, while you listen well.” the youth said to Zhang Ye.
Zhang Ye ignored him, and already had his plans.
The youth frowned. You even turned haughty? Just because you were praised to the skies by people who did not know literature, you already forgot who you were? See, your original form has been revealed! I have no idea why Teacher Hu appreciated you so much. You can only have your way with Big Thunder and those slightly known poets in Beijing. But take a look; once you encounter a real master of literature, you have nothing against them, right?
The youth grunted and cleared his throat, “Everything is fated. Everything is unreal. Everything has no end. Everything has no home to return to.”
Wang Shuixin squinted his eyes as he listened to his poem.
The other interviewers again revealed their reverence. Their mouths moved gently, as if they were tasting the poem, and were also reciting it along with the youth.
The youth carried on, “Every happiness doesn’t come with a smile. Every suffering..”
But suddenly, a scene no one expected happened. Zhang Ye opened his vocal cords and interrupted the youth, who was having a good time reciting, rudely!
Zhang Ye shook his head, “Not every tree has been broken off by the storm; Not every seed cannot find soil to root; Not every true feeling is lost in the deserts of human hearts; Not every drea