Wen Yiduo

"This eerie, silent night, this round of perfect peace, This song of gratitude that rises in my throat – And at once the song of thanks changes to a curse. Silent night, I cannot, will not, accept your bribe! Who can be happy with a peace inside four walls? My world is greater; it reaches far beyond. These walls cannot keep out the roar of battle. Can they still the furious beating of my heart? [...] Good Fortune, I cannot accept your bribe; My world cannot be locked inside these walls. Listen! Cannons! Roaring spirits of the dead! Silent night, how can you hope to still my pounding heart?"

"The stronger the poet is, the more he revels in dancing in shackles, and the better he dances."

"On 15 July 1946 he addressed a public meeting in memory of Li Gongpu, a Democratic League leader shot by the Guomindang secret police: "Reactionaries, you killed one man, but hundreds and thousands carry on ... We have the martyr's spirit!" Later that same day Wen himself was assassinated."