Blacktail Row
- Poetry of Liu Yuxi
Grass has run wild now by the Bridge of Red-Birds;
And swallows' wings, at sunset, in Blacktail Row
Where once they visited great homes,
Dip among doorways of the poor.
Seven-character-quatrain
Wuyi Lane(Blacktail Row) is located on the south side of Qinhuai River in Nanjing. During the Three Kingdoms period, it was the barracks of the army guarding the Stone City of Wu. The name Wuyi means black clothes. This was because the non-commissioned officers at that time always dress in black.
Composed in 826 AD during the Baoli era of Emperor Jingzong's reign, this poem is part of the "Five Poems of Jinling" series and stands as one of Liu Yuxi's most celebrated historical meditations. Having been exiled to the Jiangnan region for an extended period, the poet contemplates the ancient capital Jinling (present-day Nanjing) with profound emotion, contrasting its former splendor with current desolation. Through concise yet evocative imagery, Liu projects his feelings onto the landscape, using scenes of past glory and present decline to express the impermanence of life and vicissitudes of time, imbuing the work with rich historical resonance and philosophical depth.
朱雀桥边野草花，乌衣巷口夕阳斜。
旧时王谢堂前燕，飞入寻常百姓家。
- 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.