When the moon fell
- Poetry of Jiang Kui
When the moon fell,i wandered on the riverside,
the shadows of trees were slant and small.
Who would know my sorrow in the spring?
cold wind brought your fragrance to my head.
Swans have gone,everything has changed.
Cute flowers,distant dreams,at the lonely growl
of the cuckoos,are you understanding
my love has turned blue blood and hued
into the leaves of bamboo?
Composed in 1086 during the Southern Song Dynasty, this ci poem was written when Jiang Kui resided in Tanzhou (modern Changsha, Hunan). Nestled along the Xiang River with its humid climate, Changsha was renowned as a haven for red plum blossoms. While ostensibly celebrating the local plum blossoms, the work is in fact a lyrical vessel for the poet's nostalgia for a lost love and profound sorrow of separation. As scholar Xia Chengtao's research reveals, Jiang's parting with his "Hefei lover" invariably coincided with plum blossom season, making his numerous plum poems—including this one—disguised elegies for that relationship.
人绕湘皋月坠时。斜横花树小，浸愁漪。
一春幽事有谁知。东风冷、香远茜裙归。
鸥去昔游非。遥怜花可可，梦依依。
九疑云杳断魂啼。相思血，都沁绿筠枝。
- 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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- Spring Thoughts II
- The Arcane Celadon of Yue Kiln