The Ferry at Yiyang
- Poetry of Liu Guo
《弋阳渡头》
English Translation
All day cart-wheels grind through yellow mud,
I dread the pheasant's cry from barren mulberries.
Wind and rain know not if spring's come or gone—
Willows trail their green tresses low over half the river.
This poem depicts scenes at the ferry of Yiyang County in Jiangxi. Traveling through spring's subtle transformations, the poet captures nature's delicate shifts and life's minute details, expressing both anticipation for spring and lament over time's passage. The work exemplifies Song dynasty poets' keen observation and rich inner worlds, reflecting their sensitivity to life and nature amid turbulent social currents.
中文原文( Chinese )
车声尽日滑黄泥，怕听空桑叫竹鸡。
风雨不知春早晚，柳条拖绿半江低。
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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.