On Parting With the Buddhist Pilgrim Ling Che
- Poetry of Liu Changqing

《送灵澈上人》

- Last updated: 2024-03-15 17:14:20

中文原文

苍苍竹林寺，杳杳钟声晚。

荷笠带夕阳，青山独归远。

English Translation

From the temple, deep in its tender bamboos,

Comes the low sound of an evening bell,

While the hat of a pilgrim carries the sunset

Farther and farther down the green mountain.

Five-character-quatrain

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