Lodging by Riverside Tower
- Poetry of Du Fu
At dusk along the pathway crawls the gloomy hue;
My riverside tower’s close to waters blue.
Clouds stay by cliffs like a thin veil;
The lonely moon turns over on the billow pale.
In silent flight the cranes are seen;
The wolves o’er prey cry e’er so keen.
Awake, I’m grieved by warfare’s fright;
I cannot put the world aright!
This work was composed in the autumn of 766 CE, the first year of the Dali era under Emperor Daizong, while Du Fu was residing in the West Pavilion of Kuizhou (present-day Fengjie, Chongqing). A wanderer arriving in this place, the poet had taken lodging in a riverside pavilion high in the hills. Although the An Lushan Rebellion had been quelled, warfare continued unabated in the provinces. Regional warlords maintained their separatist power, Tibetan forces harassed the borders, and the nation knew no peace. Personally, he was worn down by illness and advancing age, his great ambitions come to nothing; the state was unstable, its future uncertain. This poem is a masterpiece of regulated verse forged on a single sleepless night, fusing the sights before his eyes, the sounds in his ears, and the profound anxieties of his heart. It stands as a concentrated portrait of both the consummate artistry and the inner emotional world of Du Fu’s final years.
暝色延山径，高斋次水门。
薄云岩际宿，孤月浪中翻。
鹳鹤追飞静，豺狼得食喧。
不眠忧战伐，无力正乾坤。
- 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.