English Rendering
Boiling beans burns the beanstalk,
Beans inside the pan cry:
We're both grown from one root,
Why so fast to boil each other?
Seven Pace Song
- Poetry of Cao Zhi
《七步诗》#Brotherhood
Original Text (中文原文)
煮豆持作羹，漉菽以为汁。
萁在釜下燃，豆在釜中泣。
本自同根生，相煎何太急？
Analysis & Context
This poem uses the metaphor of beanstalks and beans, which are born from the same root, to compare brothers who share the same father and mother, and uses the metaphor of beanstalks frying their beans to compare Cao Pi, a brother of the same flesh and blood, who brutalised his younger brother, to express his strong dissatisfaction with Cao Pi.
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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