The Lotus-Gathering Song
- Poetry of Liu Fangping
In setting sun's glow on the river clear,
Chu songs arise from maidens slender and dear.
Lotus-gathering's their habit from early years,
At fifteen they already ride the tide without fears.
"The Lotus-Gathering Song" belongs to the ancient Yuefu tradition, specifically one of the seven songs of "Jiangnan Melody," often depicting the labor and liveliness of Jiangnan women harvesting lotus. During the mid-Tang Dynasty, with Jiangnan's economic prosperity, lotus gathering was both an agricultural activity and an aesthetic subject among literati. Liu Fangping’s poem does not merely describe the scenery; through the portrayal of the lotus-gathering girls, it creates healthy, rustic images of labor, celebrating the beauty of work and the vitality of daily life. In very concise language, the poem reflects the folk customs of the Jiangnan riverlands and conveys praise for ordinary working people.
落日清江里，荆歌艳楚腰。
采莲从小惯，十五即乘潮。
- 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.