Thoughts at an Inn, Sent to My Colleagues
- Poetry of Cui Dong
Through bitter years my books I’ve kept,
Awaiting summons—poverty unwept.
At dusk, through snow my horse still strains,
At supper, yet another host sustains.
When sorrow comes, I read auspicious signs,
As age descends, I prize dawn’s golden lines.
Gazing afar toward Pingjin’s grand gate,
I know at home, spring warms my garden’s state.
Composed during Cui Dong's itinerant years as a low-ranking aide, this poem stems from his experience lodging in humble quarters—his life marked by hardship, his ideals stifled. Through unflinching portraits of personal struggle, he voices the scholar's unwavering spirit, longing for friends, and nostalgia for home's vernal hues. Each line radiates intellectual integrity and quiet tenderness, blending resilience with wistfulness to reveal the complex inner world of late-Tang literati.
读书常苦节，待诏岂辞贫。
暮雪犹驱马，晡餐又寄人。
愁来占吉梦，老去惜良辰。
延首平津阁，家山日已春。
- 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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