The Swordsman
- Poetry of Jia Dao

《剑客 / 述剑》

- Last updated: 2024-03-15 16:35:48

The Swordsman by Jia Dao
中文原文

十年磨一剑，霜刃未曾试。

今日把示君，谁有不平事？

English Translation

For ten long years, a sword I whetted,  

Its frosty blade, as yet, untried.

Today, I hold it unsheathed before you;

Of you, to whom was justice denied?

By Jia Dao

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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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