English Rendering
With my wine-bottle, watching by river and lake
For a lady so tiny as to dance on my palm,
I awake, after dreaming ten years in Yangzhou,
Known as fickle, even in the Street of Blue Houses.
A Confession
- Poetry of Du Mu
《遣怀》
Original Text (中文原文)
落魄江湖载酒行，楚腰纤细掌中轻。
十年一觉扬州梦，赢得青楼薄幸名。
Analysis & Context
Seven-character-quatrain
This poem was written around 850 AD during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty. In his youth, Du Mu served as an aide in Yangzhou, where he indulged in a life of pleasure and excess. A decade later, looking back on those years, he deeply regretted his frivolous and indulgent lifestyle. This poem is a reflection on his past and a self-mocking critique, expressing both regret for wasted years and a lament for the fleeting nature of time and life.
Reader's Companion
The Essence of the Verse
Classical Chinese poetry thrives on Concision and Ambiguity. Without tense or number, the words create a timeless space where the reader becomes the co-creator of the poem's meaning.
Reading Between the Lines
Look for Contrasts: light and shadow, movement and stillness. Don't just translate the words; feel the Yijing (artistic conception) that lingers long after the last character.
- Lament for Spring II
- At Chan-zhì Temple, Yangzhou
- The Spring Palace II
- The Spring Palace I
- Temple of the Heroine
- On the Black River Pavilion
- The Summit Temple
- <Prelude to Water Melody> Sent to Ziyou on Mid-autumn Festival
- Invitation to Wine
- Question and Answer in the Mountains
- Cold sheet
- Coming Home ( Returning Home )
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