WHERE THE SEA STANDS STILL › HOUSE LIKE SHADOW
PORTRAIT AFRAID OF THE COLD
PORTRAIT AFRAID OF THE COLD
An essay on Yang Lian’s poem “Portrait Afraid of the Cold”
From Where the Sea Stands Still · poem translated by Brian Holton
This page presents a close-reading essay on “Portrait Afraid of the Cold” in two forms: a reading edition and a graphic edition.
The essay considers resemblance and mistaken identity, tracing how fear draws the self toward its own likeness while cold, portraits and metaphor displace any secure original.
ESSAY
ESSAY