Poems by Lan Xin

Lan Xin (Lan Xin)
World Memory Heritage The Only Female Inheritor of Dongba Culture, International Renowned Writer & Poet. Internationally acclaimed bilingual writer, poet and translator, member of the Chinese Writers Association. The only female inheritor of UNESCO-listed Dongba Culture, International Disseminator of Dongba Culture and practitioner of Chinese culture’s global outreach. Winner of the Italian Francesco Giampietri International Literary Award, President of Lanxin Samei Academy and Dean of Yulong Wenbi Dongba Culture Academy.

Eva Lianou Petropoulou
Αποκλειστικη Eκπρόσωπος για την Ελλάδα για την προώθηση της πολιτιστικής κληρονομιάς – Dongba Culture Κίνα

Predestined for Three Lifetimes poem by Lan Xin (Lanxin Samei)

What is fate?
It is the inevitability meant to be, beneath the guise of chance.
A promise made in a past life, that brings us together in this one.
Fate is an unplanned meeting of hearts;
the moment our eyes meet,
the shadow of a former life reflects in each other’s gaze.
That unfulfilled love,
that lifelong longing—
We stand across a glimmering stream,
silent, with unspoken words in our hearts.
Through joy and sorrow in this life, I pledge to you;
I hold your hand, and grow old with you together.
Even a single encounter,
becomes an unforgettable love deep in the soul.
Do you believe?
In this world,
there is always a pair of discerning eyes
that sees through the countless crowds,
and leads the lifelong longing of the heart.
Our fate is predestined, for three lifetimes.

Interpretation:
This poem centers on the karmic bond of “three lifetimes”, unfurling the emotional arc of a fateful encounter in a past life, lifelong companionship in the present, and a heartfelt promise for the next. It weaves profound, enduring love into the predestined connection, with every line embodying the longing for an unbroken togetherness through all life’s joys and sorrows. “Three lifetimes” is both a classic philosophical concept denoting the past, present and future existences in traditional culture, and a vivid embodiment of this love that transcends reincarnation and remains unyielding for all eternity.

Love Fated at the Potala Palace poem by Lan Xin (Lanxin Samei)

At last, I stand before thee
Like a young butterfly fresh from its cocoon
Rejoicing, my eyes glinting with starlight
Dost thou know? Long e’er this moment
I have turned to gaze at thee a thousand times
Thou hast, in truth, stood lofty in my heart all along
Yet thou art so grand, so towering
I feared my slender fingers could not twirl the prayer wheel
I feared the highland could not bear my lonely cold
I feared I might fall short of thy ageless vow
So to thee
I could but gaze in awe, never dare draw nigh
And thus I waited
For a mighty eagle
To bestow me strength
To lead me to thy side
At last, I stand before thee
The moment I step upon thy halls
A flame of hope surges in my breast
My heart
Is like the blazing starry firmament
Abloom with hues of radiant light
Blossoms of grace and rapture
Burst forth in my heart’s sky, like glowing neon flames
In this hour
I no longer keep my reverent distance
I have at last drawn close to thee
In this hour
All fear is gone from me
For
A mighty eagle
Doth lend me its strength

Interpretation:
This poem traces the emotional journey of approaching the Potala Palace, depicting the transformation from yearning with awe and hesitation to finally drawing near fearlessly. With metaphors of a young butterfly and a mighty eagle, and Tibetan symbols like the prayer wheel and the highland, it weaves the poet’s reverence, hope and eagerness for the Potala Palace into every line. It lays bare the anxiety of venturing alone to the highland, and more vividly expresses the relief and resolve of embracing the sacred land and hearting the light, empowered by love and strength.

Fated poem by Lan Xin (Lanxin Samei)

We chanced upon one another
On that afternoon when the storm had passed
A casual brush of hearts, unplanned
Like the long-awaited rainbow
That blazed across my firmament
With a burst of iridescent glow, in an instant
If
‘Twixt thee and me
It is fated to be but a fleeting encounter
I would blaze like a firework bright
At the moment thou gazest up at the starry vault
Unfolding a lifetime of grace in one brilliant bloom
If
‘Twixt thee and me
It is fated to be a soulful kinship
I would be a pure lotus in the lake
We gaze into each other’s eyes in quiet repose
Never clasping each other’s hands
Yet my fragrance permeates thy heart
Soft and lingering, far and profound
If
‘Twixt thee and me
It is fated to be a lifelong bond
I would be a mild, delicate orchid
In thy life
Now nigh, now far
Now intense, now faint
Now blushed, now plain
Through spring’s bloom and winter’s frost
Breathtaking forth fragrance for all eternity
If
‘Twixt thee and me
It is fated to be naught at all
I only wish
A seed of sweet goodness
Might take root and sprout in thy heart, from this day forth
Growing into a tree of wishes
And in the next life
All our fated desires may find their full fulfillment

Interpretation:
This poem eulogizes the destined love between two hearts with four layered suppositions. It weaves the beauty of fleeting encounter, the tenderness of soulful understanding, the warmth of lifelong companionship and the mild hope of unfulfilled fate into vivid metaphors of rainbow, firework, lotus, orchid and wishing tree, expressing the sincere and selfless love that follows the will of fate and cherishes every possible bond with the beloved.

To the Angel poem by Lan Xin (Lanxin Samei)

Angel, what is it, what bids you fall to the mortal world?
What is it, what makes you cling to this earthly dust?
Angel, what is it, what breaks your wings in twain?
What is it, what fills your eyes with tears?
Angel, you once soared on wings,
striking the blissful chord;
you once blinked eyes like autumn rills,
holding bright wishes in their glow;
you once outstretched your arms,
scattering sunlight all the way.
Yet on that pitch-black cold night,
a deafening crack rent the sky—
I saw your blood-stained wings,
your broken heart entwined.
Angel, do you blame your hasty leap to the world?
Do you regret the reckless moth’s flight to the flame?
This mortal world of strife was never yours,
the past like wispy smoke, gone in a blink.
Only the trace of your flight remains—
a crystal heart-lantern,
spilling radiance o’er the ground,
like your glistening tears.

Interpretation:
This poem addresses an angel with tender inquiries, lamenting its fall to the mortal world: broken wings, tearful sorrow, and the shattering of its once blissful existence in a bleak cold night. It wonders if the angel regrets its hasty descent, yet reminds that mortal strife was never its load. The past fades like smoke, but the trace of its flight lingers as a crystal heart-lantern, spilling radiance like its glistening tears—its pure light enduring through fragility and loss.