Pale Yellow Willow: Lodging West of Red-Rail Bridge, Hefei
- Poetry of Jiang Kui
The empty town's dawn horn resounds,
Through willow-veiled paths it winds.
On horseback, thin-robed, I shiver cold,
Surveying tender yellows and greens unfold -
All old friends from Southland, every hue.
In this deep hush, Cold Food Festival's due.
I force wine to the little bridge's lair,
Fearing pear blooms' fall will bring autumn's air.
Swallows dart, asking spring's retreat -
Only the pond lies jade in silent feat.
Composed during the Chunxi era of the Southern Song Dynasty, this ci poem was written when Jiang Kui was lodging west of Chilan Bridge in Hefei's southern district. Though situated between the Yangtze and Huai rivers, Hefei was then near the northern frontier, its climate colder and scenery tinged with desolation. Against this backdrop of national fragility and personal career stagnation, Jiang Kui wandered from place to place, channeling his emotions into poetry. "Pale Yellow Willows" emerges as both a spring landscape sketch and a profound meditation on exile, longing, and national decline.
空城晓角，吹入垂杨陌。
马上单衣寒恻恻，
看尽鹅黄嫩绿，都是江南旧相识。
正岑寂，明朝又寒食。
强携酒，小桥宅，
怕梨花落尽成秋色。
燕燕飞来，问春何在，
唯有池塘自碧。
- 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.
- Pale Yellow Willow: Lodging West of Red-Rail Bridge, Hefei
- Charm of a Maiden Singer: A Boat Amidst Blushing Blooms
- Hidden Fragrance: Moonlight of Bygone Days
- Early Summer: Seeking Yu Creek After Rain
- Midnight Vigil in West Garden
- Villager's Song I
- Villager's Song II
- Villager's Song III
- The Ferry at Yiyang
- The Village Tavern