Tang's Repeated Refrain: Reeds Fill the River Isle
- Poetry of Liu Guo

《唐多令 · 芦叶满汀洲》
Tang's Repeated Refrain: Reeds Fill the River Isle by Liu Guo
English Translation

Reeds blanket the river isle,

Cold sands trace shallow streams.

Twenty years—I pass South Tower again.

My boat at willow's root still sways—

How many days till Mid-Autumn?


At Yellow Crane's broken bluff,

Do old friends still remain?

These ancient hills—all steeped in fresh sorrow.

I'd buy osmanthus, share wine—

But never like our youth's adventures.

This renowned work was composed by Liu Guo during his revisit to Anyuan Tower (also known as South Tower) in Wuchang. Situated on Huanghe Mountain in modern Hubei, Anyuan Tower served as a strategic military base during the Southern Song's resistance against the Jin dynasty. Twenty years after his youthful revelries here, Liu returns to find the landscape unchanged but human connections severed—friends scattered, the nation in turmoil. Through autumn scenery and introspective lament, the poem distills life's transience, national grief, vanished youth, and lost companionship. Its iconic line—"I'd buy osmanthus and wine for old-time cheer, / yet never taste that carefree spirit of my youth"—has resonated for centuries as the ultimate expression of temporal irrevocability.

中文原文( Chinese )

芦叶满汀洲，寒沙带浅流。

二十年重过南楼。柳下系船犹未稳，能几日，又中秋。

黄鹤断矶头，故人今在否？旧江山浑是新愁。

欲买桂花同载酒，终不似，少年游。

- Last updated: 2025-10-20 20:48:14
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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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