Entering Shangshan
- Poetry of Du Mu

《入商山》

- Last updated: 2024-03-18 15:03:19

中文原文

早入商山百里云，蓝溪桥下水声分。

流水旧声人旧耳，此回呜咽不堪闻。

English Translation

I enter Shangshan early, under a hundred miles of cloud,

Beneath the bridge a blue stream, the sound of the water divided.

The flowing water's old sound reaches the ears of the old,

This time I cannot bear to listen to its call.

By Du Mu

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