Ruined Splendor
- Poetry of Du Mu
Rank grasses grow, six dynasties' splendors no more;
The sky is lightly blue and clouds free as of yore.
Birds come and go into the gloom of wooded hills,
And songs and wails alike merge in murmuring rills.
Like countless window curtains falls late autumn rain:
High towers steeped in sunset, wind and flute's refrain.
O how I miss the lakeside sage of bygone days!
I see but ancient trees loom rugged in the haze.
This poem was written in the third year of the Tang Dynasty’s Kāichéng era (838 CE), when Du Mu was 26 years old. It was inspired by his travels to Xuanzhou (modern-day Xuancheng, Anhui) and the Shui Pavilion at Kaiyuan Temple. The poet, standing on the pavilion and gazing into the distance, reflects on the rise and fall of the Six Dynasties' ancient capital and expresses his deep feelings about the impermanence of history and life. At the same time, the poem conveys his yearning for the recluse life of Fan Li.
六朝文物草连空，天淡云闲今古同。
鸟去鸟来山色里，人歌人哭水声中。
深秋帘幕千家雨，落日楼台一笛风。
惆怅无因见范蠡，参差烟树五湖东。
- 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.