Climbing in Autumn for a View From the Temple on the Terrace of General Wu
- Poetry of Liu Changqing

《秋日登吴公台上寺远眺》

- Last updated: 2024-04-27 16:44:02

中文原文

古台摇落后，秋入望乡心。

野寺来人少，云峰隔水深。

夕阳依旧垒，寒磬满空林。

惆怅南朝事，长江独自今。

English Translation

So autumn breaks my homesick heart....

Few pilgrims venture climbing to a temple so wild,

Up from the lake, in the mountain clouds.

...Sunset clings in the old defences,

A stone gong shivers through the empty woods.

...Of the Southern Dynasty, what remains?

Nothing but the great River.

Five-character-regular-verse

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.

List of Chinese poets