Chapter 7: Short Poems and Cut-Line Verses Soaring Together

“Cut-line verse” and “non-imagery poetry” have in recent years appeared in the field of modern poetry under the promotion and hype of certain poets. The latter, due to its high operational difficulty, was quickly sent into the “palliative care ward,” and then ended without illness. The “cut-line verse” form, however, continues to spread within poetry circles, seemingly not fading for the time being.

Regarding “cut-line verse,” when I first encountered and read those works, I held a negative and pessimistic view, thinking it was merely a “gimmick of formal experimentation.” It was only in the past few months, after more extensive reading of cut-line poems, that I let go of my earlier bias and began to view it in a more balanced manner.

Section 1: Two Types of Cut-Line Verse

According to the current definitions proposed by leading figures such as Xiao Xiao, Su Shaonian, Bai Ling, and Lin Guang, cut-line verse can roughly be divided into two types:

1. Treating cut-line verse as “new quatrains”

This approach borrows the formal constraints of traditional quatrain poetry to write cut-line verse. Xiao Xiao, for example, holds this position, emphasizing “creation under formal (line count and structural) constraints,” and stressing concision and refinement. In essence, it is no different from short poetry.

1. Treating cut-line verse as an “essence extraction and recombination” of poetic works

This approach, represented by Lin Guang, is essentially a kind of “meta-creation” (re-creation) based on prior texts. Both types, in terms of conditions, largely overlap with short poetry. This leads readers to ask: “Since short poems already possess the functions of cut-line verse, why is there a need to create another alternative term?” My view, however, is that regardless of whether it is “essence extraction and recombination” or “creation under formal constraints,” both are useful in helping creators refine imagery and compress length, thereby improving creative technique in a substantive way.

In other words, “cut-line verse” can be regarded as a “means or method” for refining poetic lines, while its purpose must still be grounded in “creativity” and “aesthetic value.” Means cannot replace purpose, nor can cause and effect be reversed. One must not take (or “hijack”) others’ poetic lines to engage in so-called “meta-creation” (collage), as this leads to loss of focus and may even cross legal “red lines.”

Section 2: Discussion of Cut-Line Poetry

The short poems of Filipino-Chinese poet Wang Yong possess the structural form of cut-line verse. The single-section and two-section forms (2–2 structure, 3–1 structure) are the popular styles of four-line cut-line verse in circulation.

〈Enlightenment〉
The bamboo after being cut at the waist
Hollow inside
Catches the first drop of dawn
Dew

〈Transcendence〉
Chicken, duck, pig, and cow are dismembered
Into scraps, already beyond recognition
So they can only let go of all past grievances

Waiting for the temple of the five organs to absolve them

〈Clan Soul〉
That ground of yellow skin
Unwillingly gradually changes color

The pear says to the knife fiercely:
I bear a deep-cut enmity with you

This group of cut-line poems clearly is not an “essence extraction and recombination” of several pre-existing poems, but rather works of original short poetry. Each piece has a complete structure; reading them brings a subtle smile of recognition, allowing one to perceive the “unsaid meanings beyond the lines.”

Accordingly, “cut-line verse” and “short poetry” can essentially be equated with an “equals sign.”

〈The Sound of a Breaking Cocoon〉 / Chen Qufei
Your broken heart, using notes to heal wounds
My poem, accompanied by a desolate melody
Is the bandage that stops your bleeding
The spring rain falls cold and long
That scarf hangs at the window
The vow of love has never dried
The passing wind gently twists it
The cooled tears, together with fluttering yellow leaves
Whisper in the hoarse interlude
Telling of your first half of life, when you exhausted your passion

How should I ignite you, in the second half of life
The stagnant cold ash accumulated in the dead corner of the soul?
I remove half of my rib, sprinkle it with strong liquor
Using a love phrase to drill fire by friction
If you, within the cocoon of love, after awakening from hibernation
Still refuse to break the chrysalis and become a butterfly
Refuse to let me dry your sorrowful wings
Then the remaining rib bones
Please plant them back into the soil of dreams
In times of sorrow, remember to nourish them with musical notes
Wait until they sprout green tender shoots
That will be my deep and regretless afterlife……

This poem is included in the author’s poetry collection Love Songs of Wind and Clouds. After being cut into verses by the author, it was given a new title as follows:

〈Adam’s Rib〉
How should I ignite you, the desolate second half of life
The stagnant cold ash accumulated in the dead corner of the soul?
I remove half of my rib, sprinkle it with strong liquor
Using a love phrase to drill fire by friction

The remaining rib bones, waiting for them to sprout green tender shoots
That will be my deep and regretless afterlife……

〈Scarf〉
The spring rain falls cold and long, at the window
Hangs that scarf, the vow of love
Still not dried, the passing wind gently twists it
The cooled tears, together with fluttering yellow leaves
Whisper in the hoarse interlude, telling of the first half of life
You once exhausted your passion, warming me

Through “essence extraction and recombination,” and by changing the titles, two completely unrelated cut-line poems appear. This form of cut-line verse can be used as a method of creative practice.