|
In the wake of the Sichuan earthquake, there was an outpouring of literary works that touched our hearts, among them poems. There was one by an anonymous author that assumes the voice of a mother talking to her dead child. It has simplicity tinged with sadness. One business executive, after reading it, pledged an additional 6 million yuan to the 4 million yuan already donated. Recently, someone named Wang Zhaoshan published a poem, written in classic ci style, about the earthquake. He assumes the voice of a victim expressing gratitude from the grave for all the efforts the whole nation, especially our leaders and soldiers, have taken in rescue and relief. Suffice to say, this is a horrible poem. It debases the purity of human love and compassion abundantly displayed in this tragedy. True, we are mighty proud of the strong leadership from the central government, the speedy mobilization and commitment of the soldiers, the torrent of grief, volunteerism and donations from all over the country. We showed that we are capable of caring for our fellow human beings, especially when hit by misfortune of biblical scale. Those who went out of their way to help deserve our praise, whether that person was an official or just an ordinary citizen. But that does not change the fact that what happened on May 12 was a tragedy, the biggest natural disaster in New China. For people who suffered loss of life in the family, the pain is permanent. That was why Premier Wen Jiabao asked rescuers to "spare no cost and effort" in saving as many people as possible. A collapsed house can be rebuilt, but a life lost is lost forever. | 
