Drinking with Friends at Night in Liangzhou
- Poetry of Cen Shen
The crescent moon rises and hangs on city wall;
The rising moon on city wall shines over all.
There're a thousand homes in seven districts on frontier;
Half of the Tartars play pipa for us to hear.
The heart would be broken to hear the pipa song,
When the wind sheds leaves in showers and night is long.
West of the River I have so many compeers;
Many friends are separated from me for many years.
Before the flowery gate we see autumn grass.
Could we bear to see friends grow old like it? Alas!
How many times can we laugh in a life so fleet?
So let us drink our fill till drunken, now we meet!
This poem by Cen Shen was composed in 754 during his journey to Beiting. While passing through Liangzhou, he gathered with old friends serving at the Hexi Military Headquarters. Liangzhou, a vital city on the Tang dynasty's northwestern frontier, was both a military stronghold and a hub of cultural exchange. The poem depicts the borderland scenery, local customs, and the lively banquet, reflecting the prosperity of the Tang dynasty and the poet's optimistic spirit.
火山六月应更热，赤亭道口行人绝。
知君惯度祁连城，岂能愁见轮台月。
脱鞍暂入酒家垆，送君万里西击胡。
功名祗向马上取，真是英雄一丈夫。
-- Poem translator: Xu Yuan-chong (许渊冲)
- 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.
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