Memories in Early Winter
- Poetry of Meng Haoran
South go the wildgesse, for leaves are now falling,
And the water is cold with a wind from the north.
I remember my home; but the Xiang River's curves
Are walled by the clouds of this southern country.
I go forward. I weep till my tears are spent.
I see a sail in the far sky.
Where is the ferry? Will somebody tell me?
It's growing rough. It's growing dark.
-- Poem translator: Kiang Kanghu
Five-character-regular-verse
Composed during Meng Haoran's travels in Jiangnan, this work reflects the poet's sojourn in unfamiliar lands amidst career disappointments, filled with homesickness and existential uncertainty. The title "Early Cold" references both the seasonal transition and emotional state. Through wintry river scenery, the poem conveys profound loneliness and nostalgia, exemplifying Meng's signature fusion of landscape and emotion in his travel poetry. The melancholic autumn imagery perfectly embodies the wanderer's sorrow, making this one of his most representative journey poems.
木落雁南度，北风江上寒。
我家襄水曲，遥隔楚云端。
乡泪客中尽，孤帆天际看。
迷津欲有问，平海夕漫漫。
木落雁南渡， 北風江上寒。
我家襄水曲， 遙隔楚雲端。
鄉淚客中盡， 孤帆天際看。
迷津欲有問， 平海夕漫漫。
- 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.
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- The Village Tavern
- Quatrain of Four Words: Deep Love, True Heart
- Mountain's End
- Seven Poems on Kaiyuan Era: Dancing Horses