Border-songs II
- Poetry of Lu Lun
《塞下曲 · 其二》Folk-song-styled-verse
This second poem in the series depicts a general's heroic night hunt, blending tension, mystery and wonder. Though brief, it presents a compact narrative with vivid imagery. Through this nocturnal expedition, the poem showcases the general's decisiveness, strength and extraordinary skill, imbued with romanticism and heroic spirit.
English Translation
The woods are black and a wind assails the grasses,
Yet the general tries night archery --
And next morning he finds his white-plumed arrow
Pointed deep in the hard rock.
中文原文( Chinese )
林暗草惊风，将军夜引弓。
平明寻白羽，没在石棱中。
- 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.