Bamboo Branch Song
- Poetry of Liu Yuxi
The mountain's red with peach blossoms above;
The shore is washed by spring water below.
Red blossoms will fade as my gallant's love;
The river as my sorrow will e'er flow.
Liu Yuxi (772-842)was well known for his popular songs which depict the life and love of the common people.This song displays a happy combination of natural scenery and inner feeling of the persona.
This poem is the second of the "Nine Bamboo Branch Songs" by the Tang dynasty poet Liu Yuxi, composed during his tenure as the Governor of Kuizhou. It is set to the tune of local folk songs from Sichuan. The entire set of poems explores themes of landscapes, customs, and love between men and women, rich with the breath of life. This particular poem expresses the sorrow and resentment of a deeply affectionate woman after her love encounters disappointment, highlighting her disillusionment and pain.
山桃红花满上头，蜀江春水拍山流。
花红易衰似郎意，水流无限似侬愁。
- 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.