Singing of the Source of Holy Church
Wu Li (1632–1718)
Before the firmament was ever formed,
or any foundation laid,
high there hovered the Judge of the World,
prepared for the last days!
This single Man from His five wounds
poured every drop of blood;
a myriad nations gave their hearts
to the wonder of the Cross!
The heavenly gates now have a ladder
leading to their peace;
demonic spirits lack any art
to insinuate deception.
Take up the burden, joyfully
fall in behind Jesus,
look up with reverence towards the top of that mountain,
follow His every step.
Translated by Jonathan Chaves
This is among the earliest known Chinese poems that deal explicitly with Christian themes. The poet, Wu Li, is famous as one of the Six Orthodox Masters of painting in the early Ch’ing period. His works hang in such major American museums as the Freer Gallery, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Cleveland Museum of Art, and William Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art. His poems, though little known, are worthy of attention for his bold experiment in creating virtually from scratch a Chinese Christian poetry. Having converted to Catholicism and entered the Society of Jesus in 1682, Wu Li was one of the first Chinese to be ordained a priest, in 1688.