Memories in Early Winter
- Poetry of Meng Haoran

《早寒江上有怀 / 早寒有怀 / 江上思归》

English Translation

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.

Five-character-regular-verse

中文原文( Chinese )

Simplified Chinese Version

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。

Traditional Chinese Version

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。

- Last updated: 2024-04-27 16:40:43

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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