Translated by Lan Xin
That night, my spirit wandered free—
I turned into a dove that travels through time,
wings brushing mountains and rivers layered by years.
I rest upon a high platform amid the noisy gathering,
hearing Martin Luther King speak his dream to the world:
the longing for equality, burning hot to break every chain.
Questions echo: why do divisions still remain?
I soar across the vast North American land,
alighting in the corner of Lincoln’s stirring assembly hall.
His words weigh heavy, gazing upon a suffering homeland,
praying the torn land may once more find calm.
My wings sweep over the broad rivers and hills of the East.
I land beside Tiananmen Rostrum,
where a mighty voice shakes the starry sky:
The Chinese people have stood up!
Suffering fades away; hundreds of millions break free from oppression.
Seeds of peace take root across China’s land.
Then I fly toward the warm winds of South Asia,
standing quiet among crowds at the Congress meeting.
I hear Mahatma Gandhi kindle hearts with nonviolence,
holding no blade, dissolving hatred with grace.
He calls all peoples to lay strife aside, and live in peace.
I fly onward, through smoke and flames of war,
my wings skimming nations scarred by endless pain.
I hear Mandela speak of the search for reconciliation;
through prison hardship, he turns away spite and bitterness.
I hear Marie Curie: she studies stars and radiation,
yet prays the light of science shall never burn as ruinous fire.
I glide over ruins, over paths soaked by tears,
and see the glow of mortal life after guns fall silent.
I am but a bird roaming the long night in spirit,
bearing no hatred, carrying no war.
I gather every human plea for quiet and serenity.
Beneath my wings, I hold all prayers across the ages:
may there be less exile, less weeping, less division.
Let people of every skin, from every land,
gaze upward at one same sky of stars, moon and hills.
Let all great voices merge into one gentle vow:
May this world abide in lasting peace, and wander no more.
