ABSTRACT
Pen name of Hu Meizi. Xiong Hong is a native of Taidong, Taiwan. She started writing poetry in the late fifties, quickly becoming one of Taiwan's leading women poets. Her books of poems include Golden Chrysalis, Collected Poems of Xiong Hong, and Red Coral. Her early works are mostly romantic lyrics dealing with the theme of love. After 1971 she broadened the scope of her work with a shift toward realism. Being a devout Buddhist, Xiong Hong also wrote a small group of Buddhist poems. These include prayers or devotional songs, most of which are short verses using very plain diction. 'Shrouded in Smoke' is one such poem included in this anthology. Dark blue smoke of incense like dark blue lotus rain like snow drifting, floatgently, most gently floating down covering the old gladness the frowning brows of dashed hopes as well.
