Playing a Joke on the Vintner at Huamen
- Poetry of Cen Shen
《戏问花门酒家翁》
English Translation
The greybeard, seventy, still deals in wine;
A thousand jars, a hundred urns, at Huamen’s gate in line.
The roadside elm seeds look like cash, you know;
If I pick them to buy your drink, will you let them go?
This poem was composed in the spring of 751 AD, during the Tianbao reign of Emperor Xuanzong. At the time, Cen Shen was serving on the staff of Gao Xianzhi, Military Governor of Anxi.
中文原文( Chinese )
老人七十仍沽酒，千壶百瓮花门口。
道傍榆荚仍似钱，摘来沽酒君肯否？
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- 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.