Thinking of Home on Winter Solstice Night at Handan
- Poetry of Bai Juyi
《邯郸冬至夜思家》
English Translation
At roadside inn I pass the Winter Solstice Day
Clasping my knees, with my shadow in company.
I think, till dead of night my family would stay,
And talk about the poor lonely wayfaring me.
This poem was written on the Winter Solstice night of the year 804 (the 20th year of Emperor Dezong’s Zhenyuan reign in the Tang Dynasty). Bai Juyi was 33 years old at the time, serving as a junior compiler in the Secretariat. On this day, which is traditionally meant for family reunions, Bai Juyi found himself alone in a post station in Handan. The poem conveys his deep longing for home and his imagined concern for his family during the festival.
中文原文( Chinese )
邯郸驿里逢冬至，抱膝灯前影伴身。
想得家中夜深坐，还应说着远行人。
- Why Chinese poems is so special?
- The most distinctive features of Chinese poetry are: concision- many poems are only four lines, and few are much longer than eight; ambiguity- number, tense and parts of speech are often undetermined, creating particularly rich interpretative possibilities; and structure- most poems follow quite strict formal patterns which have beauty in themselves as well as highlighting meaningful contrasts.
- How to read a Chinese poem?
- Like an English poem, but more so. Everything is there for a reason, so try to find that reason. Think about all the possible connotations, and be aware of the different possibilities of number and tense. Look for contrasts: within lines, between the lines of each couplet and between successive couplets. Above all, don't worry about what the poet meant- find your meaning.