Farewell to a Lutist
- Poetry of Gao Shi
《别董大二首 · 其一》
English Translation
Yellow clouds spread for miles and miles have veiled the day;
The north wind blows down snow and wild geese fly away.
Fear not you've no admirers as you go along.
There is no connoisseur on earth but loves your song.
This poem was written by Gao Shi to Dong Tinglan (Dong Da), a famous musician in the Tang Dynasty, possibly a zither virtuoso during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong. Gao Shi, at the time of writing this poem, was struggling in a period of personal hardship, poverty, and disillusionment. In contrast, Dong Da was already a well-known figure in the artistic world. Gao Shi’s poem expresses both his care and encouragement to his friend while showcasing his own generous and broad-minded character.
中文原文( Chinese )
千里黄云白日曛，北风吹雁雪纷纷。
莫愁前路无知己，天下谁人不识君。
Pre： On Reading History
- 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.