The Inlaid Harp
- Poetry of Li Shangyin
I wonder why my inlaid harp has fifty strings,
Each with its flower-like fret an interval of youth.
...The sage Chuangzi is day-dreaming, bewitched by butterflies,
The spring-heart of Emperor Wang is crying in a cuckoo,
Mermen weep their pearly tears down a moon-green sea,
Blue fields are breathing their jade to the sun....
And a moment that ought to have lasted for ever
Has come and gone before I knew.
Poem translator: Kiang Kanghu
Seven-character-regular-verse
This renowned poem The Inlaid Harp, a masterpiece by Li Shangyin, stands as one of the most exquisite examples of late Tang poetry. Though its exact composition date remains uncertain, the work is steeped in an ethereal melancholy, widely interpreted as an elegy to lost youth and unfulfilled love. Through the metaphor of a zither's strings, the poet orchestrates a symphony of memory, employing layered allusions to evoke vanished years, unspoken affections, and ineffable regret. Neither narrative nor explicitly confessional, the poem constructs a dreamscape of elusive symbolism, becoming a paradigm of the poet's signature "untitled" style.
锦瑟无端五十弦，一弦一柱思华年。
庄生晓梦迷蝴蝶，望帝春心托杜鹃。
沧海月明珠有泪，蓝田日暖玉生烟。
此情可待成追忆？只是当时已惘然。
- 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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