A Poetic Odyssey: Unraveling Rizal's Realm of Words and Emotions

By Anna Keiko/ Shanghai, China

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It has been a long time since I sat quietly by the window, gazing at the star – strewn sky. Recently, I have delved into Rizal’s love poems, including many masterpieces likeChronicles of the Snow Country, reading them one by one.

When reading his poems, it feels as if time is flowing, transporting me into the world of literary characters crafted by Yasunari Kawabata, much like the dreamy scenes depicted in the film adaptations ofThe Dancing Girl of IzuandSnow Country. An intangible force subtly influences me, allowing me to be immersed in that world, yet as if separated from it by a thin veil, untouchable. A strange sense, a mingling of reality and spatial distance, wells up within me.

Take, for instance, the first line ofChronicles of the Snow Country: “The wind, like a blind koto, plucks my joints into longing.” The imagination here is truly remarkable.

The second line: “The mist always refuses to reveal why time always departs without a word.” In “The mist always refuses to reveal,” the mist is endowed with a human – like quality of silence. Here, the mist can be understood as the hazy truths in life, the unspoken emotions, or the unsolved puzzles. Its “refusal to reveal” implies that there are always some answers in life that we cannot find, and some truths forever shrouded in mist, elusive.

His poems are replete with wonderful lines. They not only inherit the rhythmic beauty of traditional Asian poetry but also reveal clear traces of Persian culture, such as the mystical aura of Sufism, and skillfully blend in Kawabata’s aesthetic style. His words are cool and crisp, like a faint fragrance of chrysanthemums, or like the partially melted snow and ice in spring, exuding a unique and captivating beauty.

People often say that poetry stems from life, but Rizal’s poems are far from being so simple. He possesses an extraordinary “grafting” ability, capable of seamlessly fusing the charm of Jingdezhen with the exotic allure of Minangkabau, and also harmonizing the exotic flavor of Padang with the misty (Jiangnan, a region south of the Yangtze River in China) rain and drizzle of Hangzhou. Every story and every place he describes can be smoothly connected in his writing, creating a sense of strangeness from foreign cultures. This natural sense of immersion greatly stimulates readers’ imaginations and arouses their strong curiosity to explore further.

Rizal’s poems have already formed their own unique style and logical tone. His writing is steady and smooth, with few major ups and downs. His precise command of words stems from his profound knowledge and extraordinary wisdom. Additionally, he is skilled at creating a melancholic beauty that seems like a soft murmur, easily drawing readers into the poetic (yijing, artistic conception or mood).

Whether reading Rizal’s poems or his painting reviews, one can deeply feel the breadth of his knowledge. Those seemingly effortless masterpieces are actually the result of his lifelong learning and the accumulation of knowledge over time. For decades, he has persisted in reading and learning, a quality that is truly rare and worth learning from by people in the present day.

His poems and short stories all exude a sense of purity and kindness. Of course, perhaps there are works of different styles by him that I have not yet read. However, from his works in the past half – month or so, especially those love poems, I can perceive the same kind of longing and frustration for unattainable love as that of the 14th – century Italian poet Petrarch. Only by putting his emotions into words can his soul find a依托 (yituo, support or anchor). I can also truly sense the richness and delicacy of his inner emotions, like a spring stream flowing gently yet with unfathomable depths.

Evening of June 6, 2025″