Walking from Xiamen and Looking at the Blue Sea
- Poetry of Cao Cao

《观沧海》

- Last updated: 2024-02-24 23:05:49

中文原文

东临碣石，以观沧海。

水何澹澹，山岛竦峙。

树木丛生，百草丰茂。

秋风萧瑟，洪波涌起。

日月之行，若出其中；

星汉灿烂，若出其里。

幸甚至哉，歌以咏志。

English Translation

East of Jieshi mountain, I gaze at the blue sea.

The water dances so gently, the mountain island towers.

Trees here grow thick, a hundred grasses are lush.

The autumn wind soughs, great waves rise up.

The path of the sun and moon, seems to come from within.

The splendid Milky Way, seems to come from inside.

Oh, I am so lucky, to be singing my song!

The poem not only reflects the image of the ocean, but also gives it character.

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.

List of Chinese poets