English Rendering
Those two lines cost me three years:
I chant them once and get two more, of tears.
Friend, if you don't like them…
I'll go home, and lie down,
in the ancient mountain autumn.
After Finishing a Poem
- Poetry of Jia Dao
《题诗后》
Original Text (中文原文)
二句三年得，一吟双泪流。
知音如不赏，归卧故山秋。
Analysis & Context
This is a five-character quatrain composed by Jia Dao, a poet of the Tang Dynasty. The first two lines depict the arduous toil of poetic composition and the rarity of crafting fine verses, such that the poet cannot hold back his tears after completing the poem; the latter two lines express his hope that his friend will appreciate his work, revealing an undertone of self-assurance and even conceit.
Reader's Companion
The Essence of the Verse
Classical Chinese poetry thrives on Concision and Ambiguity. Without tense or number, the words create a timeless space where the reader becomes the co-creator of the poem's meaning.
Reading Between the Lines
Look for Contrasts: light and shadow, movement and stillness. Don't just translate the words; feel the Yijing (artistic conception) that lingers long after the last character.
- Evening View of a Snow Scene
- On the Gardens at Xinghua Temple
- At Li Ning’s Quiet Dwelling
- A Letter Sent
- After Finishing a Poem
- The Swordsman
- The Summit Temple
- <Prelude to Water Melody> Sent to Ziyou on Mid-autumn Festival
- Invitation to Wine
- Question and Answer in the Mountains
- Cold sheet
- Coming Home ( Returning Home )
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