Nostalgia for Gusu
- Poetry of Jiang Kui

《姑苏怀古》

English Rendering

Night-dark clouds circle the mast's silhouette,

The river cradles star-reflections—herons sleep on sand.

A traveler gazes wistfully at willows by the Su Terrace—

Once, they swept fallen blossoms for the King of Wu.

Original Text (中文原文)

夜暗归云绕柁牙，江涵星影鹭眠沙。

行人怅望苏台柳，曾与吴王扫落花。

Analysis & Context

Composed during Jiang Kui's travels in the Southland, this poem captures the poet's contemplation of Wu's historic sites under the Southern Song Dynasty's precarious reign. With the nation clinging to the lower Yangtze region, its former glory diminished, Jiang Kui—witnessing the desolation of Wu's landscapes and the silence of its relics—pours forth profound historical melancholy and personal sorrow. Using Suzhou as his elegiac focal point, he contrasts the vanished splendor of King Fuchai's Gusu Terrace with the empty riverbanks and hushed night before him, merging collective memory with intimate grief.

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.

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