After the Day of No Fire
- Poetry of Han Hong

《寒食》
After the Day of No Fire by Han Hong
English Translation

Petals of spring fly all through the city

From the wind in the willows of the Imperial River.

And at dusk, from the palace, candles are given out

To light first the mansions of the Five Great Lords.

Seven-character-quatrain

This poem makes perfect sense if we understand that Han Hong wrote this in the aftermath of the An Lushan Rebellion. The capital city Chang’an had fallen to rebels, but it was, in time, retaken by forces loyal to the Tang dynasty. Emperor Xuanzong, died, so did his son, the Emperor Suzhong, and now Emperor Daizong was on the throne. He succeeded in recovering the capital from the rebels, but did so by accommodating several warlords. Food was scarce and people were starving.

中文原文( Chinese )

春城无处不飞花，寒食东风御柳斜。

日暮汉宫传蜡烛，轻烟散入五侯家。

- Last updated: 2025-06-08 15:37:32
· Pre： Peach-blossom River
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.

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