Farewell to Adjutant Zhang, Returning East After Success
- Poetry of Han Hong
Neighbors knew not this rooster-fighting sage,
Yet closed doors showed a hermit's noble rage.
Once wandering by miniature hills he played,
Now famed for serving where Great River strayed.
Alone he rides through frozen wastes afar,
In thick-furred robes 'mid winter's harshest star.
Silent, his homeland soon will reappear -
Luo City's east, where twilight snows adhere.
This poem was composed during the mid-to-late Tang Dynasty, a period when the once-prosperous Tang Empire was transitioning into decline, marked by social upheavals and frequent political strife. The subject of the poem, Military Consultant Zhang, was a scholar who had successfully ascended the official ranks through the imperial examination system. Written at the moment when Zhang, having passed the exams with honors, was about to return east to his hometown, the poem expresses the poet's joy for his friend's official success. Simultaneously, through its depiction of the hardships of travel and the desolate scenes of homecoming, it reflects the very human experiences of warmth and coldness that exist beyond the realm of officialdom.
邻家不识斗鸡翁，闭户能齐隐者风。
顾步曾为小山客，成名因事大江公。
一身千里寒芜上，单马重裘腊月中。
寂寂故园行见在，暮天残雪洛城东。
- 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.
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- Seeking the Hermitage of the Reverend Yong
- Dedicated to Yuan Danqiu’s Mountain Home
- The Temple on the Summit
- The orchid
- After Rain at the River Crossing
- Dawn Visit to Yu Pool with Hermit Xie
- To Censors Li and Yuan, with a Message for Wu Wuling
- On Hearing of the Imperial Plowing Ceremony
- Summer Nap