Reflections Sent to Judges Yang, Guo, Li, and Wang
- Poetry of Cui Dong
Long have I roved through cloud-wrapped woods,
Thus grown a man of idle moods.
Clerks mock my governance as vain,
My wife laughs at our purse’s strain.
Li and Guo shine with timely grace,
Wang and Yang join the court’s embrace.
At leisure in the Minister’s hall,
Do you recall our hometown spring—its all?
This poem was composed during the mid-to-late Tang Dynasty by Cui Dong, who found himself adrift in the uncertainties of officialdom. Through Reflections Penned to Judges Yang, Guo, Li, and Wang, he conveys his frustration over unrecognized talent and thwarted ambitions, while also expressing tender nostalgia and hope toward old friendships. Yang, Guo, Li, and Wang—all serving as judges in the court—were either close friends or former acquaintances. The poet uses this verse to voice his longing for them and his hope that they might remember him despite his obscurity. Beginning with self-revelation, the poem traverses the hardships of bureaucratic life and domestic poverty, culminating in affectionate thoughts of his friends—its emotions raw, its language candid.
惯作云林客，因成懒漫人。
吏欺从政拙，妻笑理家贫。
李郭应时望，王杨入幕频。
从容丞相阁，知忆故园春。
- 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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