To My Wife From Qiupu
- Poetry of Li Bai (Li Po)
I’ve left you for a thousand miles to stay
And write to you, tired, on the waters grey.
Though we live not the same life from day to day,
Can we not keep the separation away?
Three years have passed since I came to the west;
No message has come to me from the north.
Rosy cheeks must have faded, I guess;
The hair turned white cannot be blackened, alas!
A traveler coming from the capital
Has brought a letter written by you.
The mountains and streams separate us far,
But two minds made one will not drift apart.
Composed in the autumn-winter of 755 CE during Li Bai's stay in Qiupu (modern Chizhou, Anhui), this epistolary poem was written to his wife Zong Shi. As the An Lushan Rebellion loomed, Li Bai faced political disgrace following his involvement with Prince Li Lin's campaign, plunging him into his most destitute and rootless period. More than a mere letter, the poem reveals a solitary soul's profound yearning for emotional anchorage amidst turmoil, blending personal sorrow, historical tragedy, and marital devotion.
我今寻阳去，辞家千里馀。
结荷倦水宿，却寄大雷书。
虽不同辛苦，怆离各自居。
我自入秋浦，三年北信疏。
红颜愁落尽，白发不能除。
有客自梁苑，手携五色鱼。
开鱼得锦字，归问我何如。
江山虽道阻，意合不为殊。
- 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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- Seeking the Hermitage of the Reverend Yong
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- The Temple on the Summit
- The orchid
- After Rain at the River Crossing
- Dawn Visit to Yu Pool with Hermit Xie
- To Censors Li and Yuan, with a Message for Wu Wuling
- On Hearing of the Imperial Plowing Ceremony
- Summer Nap