Song of Broken Chains
- Poetry of He Zhu

《捣练子·砧面莹》
Song of Broken Chains by He Zhu
中文原文( Chinese )

砧面莹，杵声齐，捣就征衣泪墨题。

寄到玉关应万里，戍人犹在玉关西。

English Translation

Regularly the beetle sounds 

As on the anvil stone it pounds.

After washing her warrior's dress,

With ink and tears she writes down his address.

The package goes a thousand miles to the Jade Pass,

But the warrior is stationed farther west,alas!

He Zhu (1052-1125)was also a follower of Su Shi.This lyric depicts a washerwoman sending winter garments to her husband stationed in a garrison town farther west than the Jade Pass on the northwestern frontier.

- Last updated: 2024-03-19 15:23:04
· Pre： Treading on Grass - At an Inn of Chenzhou
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.

List of Chinese poets

© 2024 CN-Poetry.com Chinese Poems in English