“Welcome to this afternoon’s art banquet”, remarked Prof. Sung Mei-hua, Dean of College of Foreign Languages and Literature, as she chaired the opening of the campus lectures of the Taipei International Poetry Festival 2003. The Festival of “Dreams Nesting in the Poetry-Reading City” invited many well-known poets at home and abroad to meet for an exchange of poetry and language. The campus lectures of the Festival were held in the Ching-sheng Memorial Hall on the 15th, 16th, and 17th of September.

The lectures on the relation between poetry and language were given by poets from various countries: Wolfgang Kubin (Germany), Forrest Gander (US), Jean-Pierre Simeon and Jean-Marie Barnaud (France), and Zheng Dangyi (China). Simeon said that language alone could not help us learn how to interact with people; the important thing was to think freely. "Poetry," he said, "enables us to think freely and to look at this world from a new perspective." He stressed: “Freedom of language is the ultimate goal of a poet.”

American poet Gander said jokingly that he never knew how to express himself and felt nervous in company. “Only in poetry can I express with ease what I feel in my heart,” he said.

Speaking of his impression of Taiwan, Simeon remarked humorously: “It’s terrible: I think I’m in love with this place!” Gander noticed that Taiwan was anxious to find its identity in terms of nationhood and economy. Barnaud observed that Taiwan was still seeking a balance between modernity and tradition.

The Festival was organized by the Taipei City Government; TKU’s College of Foreign Languages and Literature sponsored the campus lecture series. Prof. Sung pointed out that the key to the opportunity of sponsoring this event was the faculty’s expertise in translation/interpretation, a result of the cooperation between teachers and students. Sponsoring the event has had a positive impact on student’s learning and the University’s effort in globalization.