“To the Magnolia”: Poem by Bai Gengsheng

Bai Gengsheng: Vice Chairman of the China Writers Association, Member of the Standing Committee of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), Honorary Dean of the China Yulong Wenbi Dongba Culture Academy

Translated by 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

“To the Magnolia”: Poem by Bai Gengsheng You are the magnolia
Standing tall on city streets
Graceful at village ends
Adorning palaces with nobility
Embellishing parks with elegance
Spring stirs in your heart
Hope is rekindled once again

Your spirit soars, unbound
Like cranes dancing light in the air
You are the messenger of spring
Warming thousands of household lights
Shining bright in every corner
Stretching across the Milky Way
Turning the whole sky into paradise

You arrive before the bitter cold
You bloom before the warm wind comes
You do not vie for favor with fruit blossoms
You offer your fragrance to heal and bless the world

You are the spirit of the earth
Unspoiled by dust or darkness
You chase away dark clouds and night
No mountain may belittle your tenderness
You are the conscience of the universe
Pure and upright, you glorify the world

Your spirit spans the rainbow, your heart unyielding
You stay true, unchanged by time or season
You gaze calmly at worldly glamour and noise
You envy not laurel nor peony’s pride

Magnolia, magnolia, you are not alone
You wake plum blossoms, then peach blossoms
You bring forth willow green and cauliflower gold
Magnolia, magnolia, pure beyond compare
Naturally radiant, your grace shines eternal

About Lan Xin
World-renowned cultural figure, internationally renowned Chinese writer, poet and translator, winner of multiple international literary awards and outstanding international contribution honors, Ambassador of Great Love and Peace, the only female inheritor of UNESCO Memory of the World Dongba Culture, Dean of Dongba Culture Academy and Lanxin Samei Academy.
All Things Have Poetry, The World Has Light

Lan Xin
For the United Nations · World Poetry Day
March 21, 2026

Poem by Lan Xin (Lanxin Samei)

Dearest Poetry
All things yearn for love and light
You are the light of all things
You are the love of the universe
Dearest Poetry
You carry boundless love
You bring eternal light
All things bathe in the embrace of light and love
In your harbor, they bloom in their most beautiful form
Dearest Poetry
You are a cosmic angel, made into verse
From beyond the firmament, you descend upon the world
With the heart as a gate
with love as a key
with poetry as a bridge
you unite the community of shared future for mankind
Dearest Poetry
You are the messenger of love and peace on earth

Let poets from all around the world
carry the most beautiful language of this blue planet
to the firmament
Dearest Poetry
You are the mirror of the world
You reflect the joys and sorrows of all beings
With gentle compassion, you soothe every heart
With diamond strength, you awaken the world
Dearest Poetry
You are the truest voice beneath the firmament
From the depths of poets’ hearts
you reach into the souls of all
You enlighten all beings, you awaken every heart
Dearest Poetry
You are a ray of light from the higher realms
You are a wisp of love from the Universal Mother
You shine upon every corner of the earth
Poets take you as their mission
to bless every sincere reader
Dearest Poetry
Every smiling face that reads your words
every reverent bow of hands
every heartfelt joy—
these are the truest love and gratitude for you!