English Rendering
You wrote a verse with highest speed at ten years old;
We would not part though candle ashes turned cold.
The flowery mountain path extends for miles long;
The young surpass the old in singing phoenix's song.
For Han Wo, Poet Prodigy I
- Poetry of Li Shangyin
《韩冬郎二首 · 其一》
Original Text (中文原文)
十岁裁诗走马成，冷灰残烛动离情。
桐花万里丹山路，雏凤清于老凤声。
Analysis & Context
This poem was written in the fifth year of the reign of Emperor Xuanzong (851) during Li Shangyin's journey from the capital to Sichuan, where he served as an assistant to the military governor of Dongchuan. At a farewell banquet, the ten-year-old Han Wei, a prodigy, composed a poem spontaneously, astounding the guests with his talent. Several years later, after returning to the capital, Li Shangyin recited the poem from that year and, moved by the memories, composed two responses.
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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