Early Summer: Seeking Yu Creek After Rain
- Poetry of Liu Zongyuan
Long rains just cease—air fresh and wide,
Alone I trace the Yu Creek's side.
My staff probes the wild spring’s bed,
My belt girds young bamboos’ head.
What need for deep contemplation?
Solitude is my aspiration.
Blessed respite from worldly fuss—
My chant cools the sultry dusk.
Composed during Liu Zongyuan's Yongzhou exile (805-815 CE), this poem marks a philosophical turning point in his banishment oeuvre. Having christened the stream "Fool's" (愚溪) as both self-mockery and social critique, Liu here transforms a post-rain excursion into a manifesto of anti-ambition—where voluntary simplicity becomes the ultimate sophistication. The work's unusual serenity among his generally acerbic exile poems reveals hard-won reconciliation between political failure and spiritual freedom.
悠悠雨初霁，独绕清溪曲。
引杖试荒泉，解带围新竹。
沉吟亦何事，寂寞固所欲。
幸此息营营，啸歌静炎燠。
- 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.
- Early Summer: Seeking Yu Creek After Rain
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- Villager's Song I
- Villager's Song II
- Villager's Song III
- The Ferry at Yiyang
- The Village Tavern
- Quatrain of Four Words: Deep Love, True Heart
- Mountain's End
- Seven Poems on Kaiyuan Era: Dancing Horses