"Winter is an elf, with just a flick of her finger, the world turns into a blanket of white." The poem "Winter Is an Elf" by eight-year-old Yang Mengru from Wengcheng Town, Wengyuan County, Shaoguan City, Guangdong Province, together with works by many other children from the town, has been translated into English, Spanish, French, German and other languages. These poems have appeared in cultural venues, tourist attractions and streets and lanes across Italy, Germany, Switzerland and other parts of Europe under the"30-second poetic pause" initiative, carrying the innocent imagination of children from rural areas in China across mountains and seas to audiences around the world.

This poetic journey across Europe has drawn widespread international praise. At Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany, a couple read "Winter Is an Elf" in English and remarked,  "The poem fits the winter scenery perfectly. The child's perspective is full of charm and makes us fall in love with winter all over again."

In Italy's Florence, the birthplace of the Renaissance, "The Sea" by 11-year-old Li Boyi uses the vivid metaphor of "an ant looking at a building" to convey the vastness of the ocean. The Spanish version of the poem moved a Spanish couple, who said after reading it aloud, "The poem is beautiful and full of a child's unique imagination. My hometown also has a vast sea, and reading this poem feels like seeing the sea of my homeland."

At the peaks of the Alps, often described as the roof of Europe, snow-capped mountains form a striking contrast with the poems written by children from Wengcheng, creating a distinctive cultural scene. Travelers of different nationalities have spontaneously taken photos with the book series "Poems by Wengcheng Children," bringing together the poetic spirit of China's countryside and the grandeur of the Alps.

On a cable car in the Alps, a university student from Seoul, South Korea, softly recited poems from the Korean translation while repeatedly turning the pages, experiencing the poetic charm of children from northern Guangdong's countryside.

All these poems that have touched audiences across Europe originated from rural school campuses in Wengcheng Town, northern Guangdong. The flourishing of this poetic creativity is rooted in a distinctive cultural environment. Formerly idle single-story buildings of the town government have been transformed into "four shared spaces" for reading, writing and exchange, while a public reading room with more than 8,000 books has drawn villagers into the world of poetry. The "No. 1 Granary", built in 1952, has preserved its historical character and been converted into the Wengcheng Poetry Art Gallery, hosting poetry gatherings and exhibitions in succession. The Agricultural Civilization Art Museum in Dingnan Village and the Cantonese Assembly Hall in Wuyi Village have also become important platforms for the vibrant development of poetry culture.

In March 2023, the Yangcheng Evening News Arts Research Institute, together with the Publicity Department of the Wengyuan County Party Committee, launched a poetry education program. Over the past three years, more than 100 poetry workshops have been held, reaching all primary school students in the town, who have collectively created nearly 5,000 poems. The subsequent publication of two volumes of the book series "Poems by Wengcheng Children," featuring 222 selected works with a total print run of 30,000 copies, has become a standout achievement in the cultural revitalization of rural areas in northern Guangdong.

粤北童诗越洋记：翁城孩子的诗唱响欧洲大地

“Winter is an elf, With just a flick of her finger, The world turns into a blanket of white.” 8岁翁城女孩杨梦茹笔下的《冬天是个精灵》，与多名翁城孩子的诗作一道，被翻译成英语、西班牙语、法语、德语等多种语言，在意大利、德国、瑞士等欧洲多地的文化场所、景区景点、街头巷尾完成一场场跨越山海的“30秒诗意停留”行动，让中国乡村孩子的童真想象跨越山海，与世界文明温暖相拥。

这场欧洲诗意之旅，收获了无数国际赞誉。在德国的新天鹅堡，一对情侣用英文朗读完《冬天是个精灵》后感慨：“这首诗太贴合冬日的场景了，孩子的视角充满趣味，让我们重新爱上了冬天。”

在文艺复兴发源地意大利佛罗伦萨，11岁李伯义的《海》用“蚂蚁看一栋楼”的独特比喻诠释大海之阔，该诗的西班牙语版本打动了一对西班牙情侣，他们朗读完后表示:“诗歌真美，充满了孩子独有的想象力，我的家乡也有辽阔的海洋，读这首诗就像看到了故乡的海。”

在欧洲大陆的屋脊阿尔卑斯山脉顶峰，皑皑雪峰与翁城孩子的诗相映成趣，成为了一道独特的人文风景线。多位不同国籍的旅人自发与《翁城孩子的诗》丛书合影，让中国乡村的诗意与阿尔卑斯的壮美相映成趣。

在阿尔卑斯山的缆车上，来自韩国首尔的大学生捧着韩文版译诗轻声诵读，不断翻阅翁城孩子的诗，感受来粤北农村孩子的诗歌魅力。

这些打动欧洲的童诗，均源自粤北韶关翁源翁城镇的乡村校园。这份诗意的生长，离不开独特的文化培育土壤：曾经闲置的镇政府平房变身集阅读、创作、交流于一体的“四个共享空间”，藏书8000余册的公益书屋里村民读诗入迷；建于1952年的“1号粮仓”保留历史肌理，化身翁城诗歌艺术馆，诗会与展览轮番上演；定南村的农耕文明艺术馆、五一村的广肇会馆，都成为诗歌文化蓬勃发展的载体。

2023年3月，羊城晚报艺术研究院携手翁源县委宣传部开启诗歌教育项目，三年间开展诗歌讲习活动超100场，覆盖全镇小学生，孩子们累计创作诗歌近5000首。随之出版的《翁城孩子的诗》两辑丛书，共收录222首优秀诗作，总印数达30000册，成为粤北乡村文化振兴的亮眼成果。

文、图｜记者 欧阳志强
翻译丨曾敏
审校丨肖凯欣