The Stone City
- Poetry of Liu Yuxi
Surrounded by hills, this old capital, its environs still in place---
Flood-tides still storm the empty city, and ebb, and quiet befalls.
East of the waters of Qinhuai River, that same old ancient moon,
Deep in the night, still climbs across the jagged battlement walls.
Translated by Andrew W.F. Wong (Huang Hongfa)
Liu Yuxi, a Tang dynasty poet, composed Five Poems of Jinling in 826 CE during the second year of Emperor Jingzong’s Baoli reign. At that time, Liu was returning to Luoyang after completing his term as governor of Hezhou. Passing through Jinling (present-day Nanjing), he was filled with deep emotion for the once-glorious yet now-abandoned capital of the Six Dynasties. This poem, inspired by the scenery of Shitou City, reflects his profound lament for the rise and fall of dynasties and the transience of human affairs.
山围故国周遭在，潮打空城寂寞回。
淮水东边旧时月，夜深还过女墙来。
- 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.