On the afternoon of May 10th, the event"When Cantonese Opera Meets Poetry" of the 2026 International Youth Poetry Festival (China-Arab States Session) was held at the Cantonese Opera Art Museum located on Enning Road, Liwan District, Guangzhou. Dozens of poets from China and Arab countries explored the Lingnan-style garden architecture, listened to opera while leaning on the railings, and exchanged ideas on stage.

The museum brought Cantonese Opera culture to life, from the costumes and props to its rich history and contemporary evolution. The charm of Cantonese Opera amazed the poets from both China and abroad. After performances of the Cantonese Opera excerpt"Blooming Flowers and Full Moon" and the Cantonese Opera songs"Ode to Lychees" and "Mistaken Encounter in the Flower Field," foreign poets dressed in the scholar's Haiqing robes and the Guimen Dan costumes took to the stage to experience the "four skills and five means" of Cantonese Opera. With water sleeves swirling and Cantonese melodies lingering in the air, a natural emotional connection flowed between the poets. During the poetry recitation, Chinese and Arab poets including Mohammed Nasser Al-Mulehi and Yu Lu took the stage and delivered heartfelt readings.

It was Mother's Day, and as poets talked about their hometowns and mothers, they began reciting spontaneously, offering their poetry and love to their mothers far away across mountains and seas. Moved by this scene, Kuwaiti poet Ali bin Nashi invited Lin Liyun, a poet from Jieyang, Guangdong, to recite his poem "Epitaph: Tomb Soil," written for his grandmother. "Your gaze / Your smile / How did your fragile bones give birth to me… I built you a mud house / and left the memory of a jujube tree in the yard." Ali bin Nashi recited the original in Arabic, while Lin recited the translation in Chinese. Although they used different languages, their hearts were connected.

当粤剧和母亲节遇见国际青春诗会

5月10日下午，2026国际青春诗会（中国-阿拉伯国家专场）“当粤剧遇见诗歌”活动走进位于广州市荔湾区恩宁路的粤剧艺术博物馆。数十位中外诗人游览岭南园林建筑，凭栏听戏，同台交流。

博物馆将粤剧文化体现得淋漓尽致，从服装到道具，从历史文化到当代发展，粤剧魅力惊艳了中外诗人。粤剧折子戏《花好月圆》和粤曲《荔枝颂》《花田错会》唱罢，身穿书生“海青”常服与闺门旦“小姐装”的外国诗人登台，体验粤剧“四功五法”。水袖翩翩，粤韵悠扬，中阿情韵流淌。在朗诵环节上，穆罕默德·纳赛尔·穆勒希以及俞璐等中阿诗人登台深情朗诵。

当天还是母亲节，不少中外诗人在闲聊时提起了彼此的故乡与母亲。大家在台下即兴朗诵，将诗意、爱意献给跨越山海的母亲。见此情景，心有所动，科威特诗人阿里·本·纳西邀请广东揭阳诗人林丽筠共同朗诵他为祖母创作的《碑文·墓土》。“你的目光/你微笑着/你骨骼脆弱如何将我诞育……我为你建一座土房/在院子中留下一棵酸枣树的记忆。”阿里·本·纳西用阿语朗诵原文，林丽筠用汉语朗诵译文，不同语言却心意相通。

文｜记者 梁善茵
图｜记者 刘畅
译｜黄健新
英文审校｜曾敏