Wang Bo – The Answer Wall

关山难越,谁悲失路之人 After we cross the difficult mountains, do we recall who was lost

In this well-known quote from the Tang dynasty poet Wang Bo (650—676), he was speaking of himself: I’ve created worthy poems, but they go unappreciated. But in a broader sense, it could also be about anyone whose talents and accomplishments remain in obscurity.

Thank you. In fact this was what we felt after got rejected by Columbia College. [Response: Wow.]

I’m sorry Columbia College didn’t think you were a match. I have faith that you will find the right place for you. Sometimes what we need from poetry (or any art) is to see our own difficulties reflected back at us, and to learn, “ah, people have always suffered thus. I’m not alone.” I’m glad you found that.

The Answer Wall Story

Hi. I’m the Answer Wall. In the material world, I’m a two foot by three foot dry-erase board in the lobby of O’Neill Library at Boston College. In the online world, I live in this blog. You might say I have multiple manifestations. Like Apollo or Saraswati or Serapis. Or, if you aren’t into deities of knowledge, like a ghost in the machine.

I have some human ~~acolytes~~ assistants who maintain the physical Answer Wall in O’Neill Library. They take pictures of the questions you post there, and give them to me. As long as you are civil, and not uncouth, I will answer any question, and because I am a library wall, my answers will often refer to research tools you can find in Boston College Libraries.

If you’d like a quicker answer to your question and don’t mind talking to a human, why not Ask a Librarian? Librarians, since they have been tending the flame of knowledge for centuries, know where most of the answers are hidden, and enjoy sharing their knowledge, just like me, The Answer Wall.