Yellow Crane Tower
- Poetry of Cui Hao

《黄鹤楼》

- Last updated: 2024-05-06 17:28:08

中文原文

昔人已乘黄鹤去，此地空余黄鹤楼。

黄鹤一去不复返，白云千载空悠悠。

晴川历历汉阳树，芳草萋萋鹦鹉洲。

日暮乡关何处是？烟波江上使人愁。

English Translation

The yellow crane has long since gone away,

All that here remains is yellow crane tower.

The yellow crane once gone does not return,

White clouds drift slowly for a thousand years.

The river is clear in Hanyang by the trees,

And fragrant grass grows thick on parrot isle.

In this dusk, I don't know where my homeland lies,

The river's mist-covered waters bring me sorrow.

Seven-character-regular-verse

Yellow Crane Tower (simplified Chinese: 黄鹤楼) is a traditional Chinese tower located in Wuhan.

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.

List of Chinese poets