Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Poetry 2019 | Page 21

Venturing farther to the Persian Gulf and Africa,
Ambergris from sperm whales and pearl white cowrie shells.
Look! The qilin, a sacred animal, towering over me!
May it grant us peace and prosperity with its magic spells.
Elephants, rhinos and zebras…the envoys presented,
Withal, of course, spices scented, gems ornamented.
Zheng He am I.
“Hooray for the Emperor,
for this marvellous supply!”
Extending our route beyond the Arabian Peninsula,
Our port of call: Aden -- the prosperous Muslim country.
What a stupefying sight of 8000 cavalry and soldiers!
Onwards to Mogadishu, Africa, offerings boarded our ships so grandly.
Welcome, ferocious lions and bizarre camels!
I could never suppress my fondness for the animals!
Zheng He am I.
“I couldn’t help giving out
a jubilated cry!”
We sailed back hurriedly -- the Forbidden City was completed!
To join in, at Beijing, the spree and the splendour.
Our maritime expeditions resonanted the triumph,
Nodding in pleasure was every farmer and vendor.
From Han to Ming, our Silk Road extended,
From land to sea, the legends were ever so splendid.
Zheng He am I.
“This country I love,
I would truly
glorify.”
The seventh, indeed, the final voyage --
As an admiral, again valiantly, to the deep ocean so vast,
Indulging in the rhythm of the undulating waves.
I was in command till l breathed my last.
Buried in the blue waters, where my heart lies,
Mesmerised, am I, in the grandiosity of every voyage’s surprise.
Zheng He am I
“Forever would I gaze at
the wondrous seas from high.”