Farewell to Pei Tan, Judge of Xuancheng, upon Going Back to the Capital
- Poetry of Du Mu
The snow in warming sun has half melted away;
You who will go on fragrant grass hear your horse neigh.
Over the mountain path clouds veil the temple drear;
The willow tips caress the bridge on River Clear.
Your ideal will fly up as high as the wild geese;
My mind still flutters like a streamer in the breeze.
Coming together, I cannot go back with you.
How lonely I'd feel at home when spring comes anew!
This poem was written in the fourth year of the Kai Cheng era (839 AD), when Du Mu was about to return to the capital from Xuanzhou, and Pei Tan was about to head to Shuzhou to assume his post as judge. As a friend, Du Mu composed this poem to bid farewell to Pei Tan, expressing his sorrow and inner reluctance at the parting.
日暖泥融雪半消，行人芳草马声骄。
九华山路云遮寺，清弋江村柳拂桥。
君意如鸿高的的，我心悬旆正摇摇。
同来不得同归去，故国逢春一寂寥！
- 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.