English Rendering
The family's living up Brocade Creek,
while I've struggled off to this distant sea.
Of ten letters sent, maybe one gets through,
and when it does, it says
another year's gone by.
A Letter Sent
- Poetry of Jia Dao
《寄远》
Original Text (中文原文)
家住锦水上，身征辽海边。
十书九不到，一到忽经年。
Analysis & Context
By Jia Dao
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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