On Meeting a Messenger to the Capital
- Poetry of Cen Shen
It's a long way home, a long way east.
I am old and my sleeve is wet with tears.
We meet on horseback. I have no means of writing.
Tell them three words: "He is safe."
-- Poem translator: Kiang Kanghu
Seven-character-quatrain
In the year 749 AD (the eighth year of the Tianbao era), Cen Shen (岑参) set foot on the road to the Western Regions for the first time, heading to serve in the military headquarters of Gao Xianzhi, the Governor of Anxi. This poem was composed during his journey westward. At that time, Cen Shen was full of ambition, eagerly heading to the frontier, hoping to achieve success in the Western Regions. However, the closer he got to the border, the further he was from his hometown, and the stronger his longing for his family and friends in Chang’an became. In this state of mind, he happened to meet an envoy returning to the capital. In their brief encounter, Cen Shen poured all his longing and affection into this short poem.
故园东望路漫漫，双袖龙钟泪不干。
马上相逢无纸笔，凭君传语报平安。
- 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.