On a Gate-tower at Yuzhou
- Poetry of Chen Zi'ang
Where, before me, are the ages that have gone?
And where, behind me, are the coming generations?
I think of heaven and earth, without limit, without end,
And I am all alone and my tears fall down.
Seven-character-ancient-verse
Chen Ziang was a Tang Dynasty scholar whose great ambitions were stifled by an unfulfilled career. Though he harbored aspirations to serve his country, he faced endless hardships in officialdom. While traveling north to Ji Gate, he climbed Youzhou Terrace (also known as Jibei Tower), gazing at the vast expanse of heaven and earth. Reflecting on both the past and present, he lamented his fate and composed "Song of Ascending Youzhou Terrace." Through mourning the wise sages of antiquity, the poet expresses his frustration at being unrecognized and conveys his sorrow over the brevity of life and the unpredictability of fate.
前不见古人，后不见来者。
念天地之悠悠，独怆然而涕下！
- 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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