On Yueyang Tower in a Storm II
- Poetry of Huang Tingjian
《雨中登岳阳楼望君山 · 其二》This poem was composed in the first year of the Chongning era of the Northern Song Dynasty (1102), when Huang Tingjian, having received a pardon, was returning home from Jiangling. He wrote it while climbing a tower in Yueyang and gazing at Mount Jun. Previously, Huang Tingjian had been accused of "defaming the late emperor" due to his work on the Veritable Records of Emperor Shenzong and was exiled for six long years, first to Qianzhou and then to Rongzhou.
Upon the tower, alone, in the rain’s blinding folds I stand,
While the whole river roars, and the storm takes the land.
And there — the distant peaks, like the dark‑twisted hair
Of the drowned nymphs of Xiang, in the cloud‑laden air!
O, to be on the waters! To ride that heaving plain,
And from the silver mountains of the surge, to behold again
The eternal greens of the hills — a more glorious, terrible sight,
Torn from the heart of the tempest, and clothed in its light!
满川风雨独凭栏，绾结湘娥十二鬟。
可惜不当湖水面，银山堆里看青山。
- 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.