Thoughts of Old Time on the Chu River
- Poetry of Ma Dai

《楚江怀古》

- Last updated: 2024-05-05 18:15:56

中文原文

露气寒光集，微阳下楚丘。

猿啼洞庭树，人在木兰舟。

广泽生明月，苍山夹乱流。

云中君不见，竟夕自悲秋。

English Translation

A cold light shines on the gathering dew,

As sunset fades beyond the southern mountains;

Trees echo with monkeys on the banks of Lake Dongting,

Where somebody is moving in an orchid-wood boat.

Marsh-lands are swollen wide with the moon,

While torrents are bent to the mountains' will;

And the vanished Queens of the Clouds leave me

Sad with autumn all night long.

Five-character-regular-verse

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.

List of Chinese poets