1836: I Became a Literary Giant in Great Britain

Michelle's deep, magnetic voice echoed through the empty hall.

This opening paragraph alone, like a spring rain, falls silently into everyone's heart.

There are no fancy embellishments, only the most sincere and straightforward emotions.

Those in the audience who were expecting a laugh suddenly froze on their faces.

Even though they had preconceived notions, they had to admit that they felt a powerful and moving force in these few lines of poetry!

Michel didn't pause; his voice gradually rose, seemingly possessing a strange penetrating power!

"You are like my soul, a butterfly of dreams."

You are like the word "melancholy".

I like you when you are silent, as if you have already gone far away.

You sound like you're lamenting, like a butterfly crying out in sorrow.

Seemingly drawn in by the beautiful imagery of the poem, more people paid attention to Michelle's recitation and continued to listen attentively:

You hear me from afar, but my voice cannot reach you:

Let me remain silent in your silence.

And let me speak to you through your silence.

Your silence is as bright as a lamp, as simple as a ring.

You are like the night, possessing both solitude and stars.

Your silence is the silence of the stars, distant and bright.

Seemingly immersed in the poem's imagery, Michelle recited the final stanza in a trembling voice:

I like it when you're silent, as if you've disappeared.

Distant and sorrowful, as if you were already dead.

At that time, a single word or a smile was enough.

And I will feel happy, because it is not real.

The air in the hall seemed to freeze.

All the whispers vanished without a trace.

Only Michelle's voice echoed.

Dickens's previously relaxed body tensed up, and he was enveloped in some indescribable emotion...

This poem struck the deepest, most hidden corner of his heart.

Without a doubt, this is an extremely moving love poem.

What's most touching about this poem isn't the passionate declaration of love, but rather a quiet love that borders on a spiritual connection.

It doesn't depict entanglement or possession, but rather how two people reach each other in silence.

Silence is not disappearance, nor is it alienation; rather, it is a presence that brings us closer to each other than words.

Your silence allows me to hear you...

You are far away, so I draw near to you even from your distance...

You are silent, yet your voice is brighter and gentler than any words.

What it really wants to say is:

True love needs no fanfare.

Those who can be at peace in silence are true soulmates...

This reminded Dickens of his first love, Miss Maria...

Then came Catherine's bright smile...

Finally, somehow, Mary's face also appeared in his thoughts...

My apologies... my apologies... this was far too dangerous...

Dickens quickly interrupted his reverie.

After all, marriage views in Britain are still extremely conservative.

Otherwise, after Dickens's relationship with his wife Catherine deteriorated, it wouldn't have been limited to just separation...

In the hall, there were many people like Dickens who were immersed in the emotions created by the poetry.

Everyone is savoring the profound emotional impact of this poem...

Compared to the intensely passionate love poems of the past, this kind of poetry describing "silent love" is undoubtedly much fresher.

Moreover, this poem seems to contain an unparalleled torrent of emotions...

The Countess sat on the sofa, her breathing becoming rapid.

The expensive feather fan in her hand had somehow fallen to the ground...

She rose from a poor Irish girl to her current position, naturally experiencing many relationships along the way.

But she has never experienced a love that resonates with her soul; her past romantic relationships seem to have been tainted by too much ulterior motive and self-interest...

People always yearn for things they can't have, and the Countess was no exception...

This poem was truly etched into her heart.

How she longed for such a pure love...

Moreover, the Countess was also a writer, and she keenly perceived the profound meaning within this poem...

In her view, the silence in the poem is not emptiness, but a spiritual resonance that transcends language!

Michel repeatedly wrote "as if you had disappeared," yet emphasized "you emerged from all things and filled my soul," forming a paradoxical structure of disappearance and eternity, distance and closeness, making silence a more real and lasting existence.

In addition, the entire poem uses a repetitive structure, constantly repeating "I like you when you are silent".

This repetition is not a simple emphasis, but a gradual progression of emotions!

The emotions deepened, but the words grew softer...

This poem doesn't depict passionate embraces or confessions; instead, it portrays love as something silent and grand, like the starry sky, elevating it beyond worldly desires to a resonance on a spiritual level.

Michelle looked at the silent hall and felt a slight weight lift from her heart.

It seems that even across eras and nationalities, the sincere emotions in poetry can still touch people's hearts!

This poem, "I Like You When You Are Silent," comes from Pablo Neruda, a famous 20th-century poet, Nobel laureate in Literature, and hailed as a "master of love poetry."

It is a representative work from his early period.

(Neruda as a child)

He was also one of Michel's favorite poets in his previous life...both his poetry and him as a person...

The Nobel Prize citation described Neruda's poetry in this way:

"His poetry possesses an unstoppable power, like the forces of nature—a power that revived the destiny and dreams of a continent."

This poem, "I Like You When You Are Silent," undoubtedly possesses the distinctive characteristics of Neruda's poetry.

Although the original poem was in Spanish, it remains moving after being translated into English.

Most importantly, this 20th-century poem is placed in the context of the 19th century.

It carries with it a revolutionary new power!

Of course, it will also face a barrage of criticism...

The reason is simple: it's a poem in free verse!

In the 19th century, poetry that did not follow poetic rhythm was simply heresy!

In fact, this kind of free verse in English poetry was pioneered decades later by American poet Walt Whitman's "Leaves of Grass"!

Free verse has many meanings, but in Michel's view:

The greatest significance of free verse is that it completely breaks the shackles of meter and allows poetry to return to life itself!

Free verse abandons traditional restrictions on rhyme and line count, using sentences of varying lengths, parallelism, repetition, and colloquial language to write poetry. The rhythm of the poem flows naturally with the emotions...

It can be said that it has completely broken the elite monopoly on poetry, allowing ordinary people to understand and resonate with it.

Isn't this exactly the origin of poetry?

If Michel survives this ordeal, he will likely be remembered in literary history in this way:

Michel revolutionized free verse, liberating poetry and bringing it back to life, people, and the earth... He was the first poet of the new era!

Michelle was well prepared for the criticism that might follow.

Just like what he had said to the Countess earlier.

"Countess, I think the future is nothing more than the bravest imagination of the present."

The same applies to clothing, and also to poetry!

Where the path leads, I will go even if it means facing a million men!

PS:

To be honest, the plot of poetry is really hard to write... I probably won't write much more in the future...

(I might write more about picking up girls later, lol. If you like this kind of poetic plot, feel free to comment below, and I'll consider everyone's opinions.)

Even the best poetry loses much of its quality once translated. In fact, this loss is the greatest of all literary forms...

Moreover, poetry, as a form of literary aesthetics, is highly subjective, and everyone's experience is vastly different. Without resonance, no matter how eloquently something is said, it won't touch the heart...

I think Neruda's poetry is already considered to have a relatively low barrier to entry...

The original plot was that Michel would then bring up "Song of Myself" from "Leaves of Grass".

But after thinking about it, I realized this detail doesn't have to be included. The key is to show the impact Michelle had...

Readers who aren't interested can skip the original poem and just enjoy the Michel's subsequent influence and pretentiousness...