I Attend
- Poetry of Anonymous

《今日良宴会》

English Rendering

I attend a sumptuous feast today,

With mirth and riot hard for me to say.

When the lute plays a wondrous tone,

The new tunes are the most superb e'er known 

When a sage composes meaningful strains,

Those who know the music find the veins.

The veins are all within the common ken,

But never made overt by any men.


Human beings live the briefest span,

Which fades like dust as soon as it began.

Why not strive hard to the uttermost,

Take up the chance and grasp a powerful post?

There's no sense sticking to a wretched life 

And bearing burdens in an endless strife.

I Attend by Anonymous
I Attend by Anonymous

Original Text (中文原文)

今日良宴会,欢乐难具陈。

弹筝奋逸响,新声妙入神。

令德唱高言,识曲听其真。

齐心同所愿,含意俱未申。

人生寄一世,奄忽若飙尘。

何不策高足,先据要路津,

无为守穷贱,轗轲长苦辛。

Analysis & Context

Anonymous

Reader's Companion

The Essence of the Verse

Classical Chinese poetry thrives on Concision and Ambiguity. Without tense or number, the words create a timeless space where the reader becomes the co-creator of the poem's meaning.

Reading Between the Lines

Look for Contrasts: light and shadow, movement and stillness. Don't just translate the words; feel the Yijing (artistic conception) that lingers long after the last character.

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