A Joyful Meeting with Brother-in-law Zheng Sun, Seeing Him Off to the Capital
- Poetry of Cui Dong
From war-torn riverside towns we fled,
Now meeting—joy and shock both spread.
After so many years apart,
I ask of childhood names, my heart
Turns wistful with each cup we drain,
Discussing texts, young scholars pain.
I know your scrolls will brim so bright,
They’ll make Jiangcheng’s paper dear overnight.
Composed after the An Lushan Rebellion when Cui Dong encountered his long-lost brother-in-law Zheng Sun by chance in River City, this poem captures the complex emotions of their impending farewell as Zheng prepares to depart for the capital. Through exquisitely observed details and profoundly sincere language, the poet renders their wartime reunion - a tender scene of kindred spirits reunited, knees nearly touching as they share memories by the hearth. Against the bleak postwar backdrop, this meeting offers not just warmth but also the startling realization of time's passage, brimming with nostalgia for vanished years, cherished bonds, and hopeful aspirations for a loved one's future. The poem's emotional cadence flows like drifting clouds and running water, at once grounded in harsh reality yet resonating with deep feeling.
乱后自江城，相逢喜复惊。
为经多载别，欲问小时名。
对酒悲前事，论文畏后生。
遥知盈卷轴，纸贵在江城。
- 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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