The Black Bird Returns

Name: The Black Bird Returns
ISBN: 9787555920472

王幅明Henan Literature and Art Publishing House · ChinaApr 2026

Rating 3.5

Word count: 8.5K words
Chapters: 74
ISBN: 9787555920472

Summary

This book is a collection of prose poems, a selection of the author's finest prose poetry from recent years. It is divided into nine sections: "Return of the Black Bird," "The Pantheon," "Deep Shade Benefits the World," "Gazing Homeward," "The Migratory Birds Have Flown Away," "Strangeness," "Back View," "The Land of Pushkin," and "Smiling Faces of Flowers." Broad in vision and varied in subject, it engages the present while opening onto history, discovering the projection of the soul among mountains and rivers, city walls and suburbs, grass and trees, and fusing praise with critique, elegance with gravity. With deep feeling it tells stories of China, of the Central Plains, and of the heart, brimming with love of country and home, humanistic spirit, and a realm at one with heaven and earth. It pursues the image beyond the image and the unity of feeling and reason. Its overall style shows vigor and strength, with classical beauty.

Editor's review

The Return of the Black Bird is a selection of Wang Fuming's prose poems from recent years, arranged in nine sections that range from delicate observations of mountains, rivers, and vegetation to the historical consciousness and local attachment sedimented in pieces such as "The Shrine of Former Worthies" and "Gazing Homeward." In subject matter the works cross city walls and open country, the present and the past; the language aspires to elegance and concision, while the emotional register tends toward depth and restraint, with praise and critique coexisting. The overall style is vigorous yet refined. For readers, the value of this book lies not in the pleasures of plot but in the short-form rhythm peculiar to the prose poem, which allows one to rediscover the soul and one's native place in fragments of time. It suits a place on the desk or by the pillow, a section or two at a time, so that in the slow cadence of the language one may apprehend what the author calls the image beyond the image and the unity of feeling and reason. Readers accustomed to long-form narrative may need to adjust their expectations and treat it as a text to be savored in stillness.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy prose poetry and short essays and value language texture
Readers interested in Central Plains culture and regional writing, with local emotional ties
Office workers seeking a calming reading experience amid a fast-paced life
Teachers of Chinese or literary writers looking for model texts

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer strong plot and fast-paced full-length novels
Readers uninterested in the prose-poetry genre who seek practical knowledge

Reading tips

No need to read in section order; start with sections close to your own experience, such as "Ancestral Shrines" and "Looking Homeward."
Read only two or three pieces at a time, leaving room to savor the rhythm and imagery rather than speed-reading in one go.
Keep a pen handy to mark lines that move you, and revisit them afterward to sort out your own responses.

About the publisher

Henan Literature and Art Publishing House China · Founded in 1996

Founded in 1996, Henan Literature and Art Publishing House mainly publishes books on literature and art, social sciences and broadly cultural subjects, and also edits and publishes the journal Celebrity Biography, gradually forming a publishing style characterized by full-length historical novels and biographical literature. Judging from the 269 titles in the database, its publishing scope also covers mystery and detective fiction, foreign literature, classic works and world classics. Representative books include Ellery Queen's four tragedies, Slaughterhouse-Five, Blindness, The Siege of Lisbon, The History of the Siege of Lisbon, the ten-volume Collected Works of Wang Zengqi, Old Tales Retold and the two-volume Classic Short Stories of Stanisław Lem, the God of Science Fiction. In terms of authors, it includes foreign masters such as Kurt Vonnegut, José Saramago and Ellery Queen, as well as translators such as Yang Xi, Yu Jianhua and Fan Weixin.

版权信息
序王幅明书法艺术浅识
书者原创
玄鸟归来，气象万千（草书）
巍峨亳都，王者典范（隶书）
散文诗《玄鸟归来》（行书）
同心干，换新天（篆书）
散文诗《水流郑州》（行书）
散文诗《惠济梦寻》（行书）
散文诗《鸿沟》（行书）
散文诗《鸽棚》（行书）
散文诗《追赶》（行书）
《贺〈大秦帝国〉峻（竣）工出版》（篆书）
散文诗《渠水千年不息》（行书）
散文诗《走出王屋山的愚公》（楷书）
如意湖吞千顷月，金融岛纳四时春（草书）
郑公粉绘随长夜，州桥南北是天街（篆书）
大禹问野，许由答川（篆书）
南登福塔，北游龙湖（隶书）
《学书俚语》（行书）
古今吟咏
《诗经·郑风·子衿》（篆书）
《诗经·商颂·玄鸟》（篆书）
《诗经·国风·郑风》五首（小楷）
庾信《黄帝见广成子赞》（篆书）
王维《归嵩山作》（行书）
韩愈《过鸿沟》（篆书）
乡校刑书宽猛兼，至今犹颂大夫贤（篆书）
郭沫若《颂郑州》（篆书）
司星聚《郑州八景》（篆书）
姚雪垠《咏嵩山》（行书）
王绶青《杜甫诞生窑》（行书）
李铁城《德化街建街百年纪念碑碑文》（行书）
何向阳《我的苹果园，我的记忆》（行书）
乔叶《郑州之东》（行书）
马新朝《合唱队》（行书）
王国钦《郑州赋》（行书）
杨炳麟《事关达摩面壁》（楷书）
张鲜明《登观星台》（行书）
冯杰《嵩阳书院的竹子》（行书）
郝子奇《大河村遗址》（行书）
张晓亮《关虎屯》（行书）
崔轼玄、王潮歌《只有河南》歌词（行书）
先贤遗珍
黄帝《阴符经》（楷书）
《尚书·大禹谟》（篆书）
管仲语录（篆书）
《列子·愚公移山》（篆书）
巧诈不如拙诚，惟诚可得人心（隶书）
潘岳《秋兴赋》（行书）
杜甫《望岳》（篆书）
杜甫《饮中八仙歌》（草书）
杜甫《赠卫八处士》（章草）
杜甫诗五首（小楷）
花径不曾缘客扫，蓬门今始为君开（篆书）
杜甫《茅屋为秋风所破歌》（草书）
杜甫《登楼》（章草）
露从今夜白，月是故乡明（篆书）
心中别有欢喜事，向上应无快活人（篆书）
白居易《李白墓》（篆书）
白居易《观刈麦》（行书）
白居易《琵琶行》（小楷）
白居易《宿荥阳》（行书）
李商隐《无题》（章草）
李商隐《锦瑟》（行书）
神女生涯原是梦，小姑居处本无郎（篆书）
桐花万里丹山路，雏凤清于老凤声（隶书）
耿介《有所思》（篆书）
附录
书法活动剪影
雅韵深情笔中来——王幅明书法创作摭谈
舞文弄墨晬语
书法是书家的另一张面孔
后记

FAQ

Can I get into it without experience reading prose poetry?

Yes. Prose poetry is short and condensed in language and does not depend on plot, so the threshold is not high. Start with sections close to everyday experience, such as "Looking Homeward" and "Deep Shade Benefits the World," and don't insist on understanding every image at once—just feel the language and mood first.

Is this book suitable for reading in one sitting?

Not really. Prose poetry values leave-taking and aftertaste, and reading it continuously tends to dull one's responses. A better approach is to read in installments, two or three pieces at a time, pausing briefly afterward to let the imagery settle before moving on.

What do the "Central Plains stories" in the book refer to?

According to available materials, the author finds reflections of the soul among mountains and waters, city walls and suburbs, grasses and trees, and tells with deep feeling the stories of China, the Central Plains, and the soul. For the content of specific pieces, refer to the text itself; readers can draw on their own knowledge of Central Plains customs and culture to appreciate the patriotic feeling and humanistic spirit within.

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

王幅明 Author

Wang Fuming is represented in this Chinese book database by only one work, Xuan Niao Gui Lai (The Black Bird Returns), commonly classified as prose and miscellaneous writings. Publicly available information about the author is very limited: nationality, dates of birth and death, and English name are not clearly recorded, so a full account of his life and literary output cannot be drawn. Judging from the title and the prose classification, the book is likely a collection of essays or informal sketches, perhaps drawing on personal observations, reflections on life, and fleeting thoughts, in a calm and unhurried style that emphasizes feeling and atmosphere. In traditional Chinese culture the “black bird” is often associated with the swallow or with mythological imagery, while “return” suggests looking back, remembrance, and homecoming; together they may point to a blending of traditional imagery with personal sentiment. With only one work in the database, it is not yet possible to assess the range of his subjects or the development of his style, and his literary achievements and influence await further material.