There are several poems of a Chinese character in the book [Rib of Earth] namely, 'Moments' [ 7 ], 'East Wind' [8], 'Outburst' [ 10], 'Free Translation' [ 14] and even 'Singapore River'[17]. The settings are evocative of old Cathay and the Tang Dynasty, the Golden Age of Chinese art and literature, and delicate feelings and relationships transpire against a background of falling blossoms, wisteria, young peach fruits, scholar, boatman plying the river, women dressed in silk, and a girl plucking a lute while singing and pining for her beloved. [25]
The preceding passage has been quoted from the late Ee Tiang Hong's Responsibility and Commitment: The Poetry of Edwin Thumboo, ed. Leong Liew Geok (Singapore: Centre for Advanced Studies/Singapore University Press, 1997. It can be ordered from Singapore University Press, 10 Kent Ridge, Singapore 119260 [GPL].
