‘The skies are empty and grey at dawn, <br />They’re empty and brown at noon, <br />Where are the birds of Wenzhou, Bei Bei <br />Deep in the afternoon? <br />Even at dusk when the air is still <br />Or the cool breath heaves from the sea, <br />I wait for the beat of wings then, Bei Bei <br />Rushing to comfort me.’ <br /> <br />‘The birds were once when the paddy fields <br />Ran down by the river tides, <br />When the sky was blue and the air was clean <br />And the trees reached up to the stars. <br />The birds were here when the skies were clear <br />No buildings blocked the view...’ <br />‘But where are the birds of Wenzhou, Bei Bei <br />Why have they gone from you? ’ <br /> <br />‘They left when the smog came rolling in <br />And the insects died on the ground, <br />When the grass turned white and the acid rain <br />Caused all the trees to drown. <br />They left when the river turned yellow mud <br />And the fields died under the road, <br />When men built towers of thirty floors, <br />They left the town in droves.’ <br /> <br />The skies are empty and grey at dawn, <br />They’re empty and brown at noon. <br />‘The birds of Wenzhou took their nests <br />And travelled to old Hangzhou. <br />They went to live by a wondrous lake <br />That tales will tell, is blue...’ <br />‘Where are the birds of Wenzhou, Bei Bei... <br />Have they forsaken you? ’ <br /> <br />8 November 2005<br /><br />David Lewis Paget<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/where-are-the-birds-of-wenzhou-bei-bei/
