A Message from Lake Dongting to Premier Zhang
- Poetry of Meng Haoran

《望洞庭赠张丞相》
A Message from Lake Dongting to Premier Zhang by Meng Haoran
English Translation

Here in the Eighth-month the waters of the lake

Are of a single air with heaven,

And a mist from the Yun and Meng valleys

Has beleaguered the city of Youzhou.

I should like to cross, but I can find no boat.

...How ashamed I am to be idler than you statesmen,

As I sit here and watch a fisherman casting

And emptily envy him his catch.

-- Poem translator: Kiang Kanghu

Composed in 733 CE during Emperor Xuanzong's Kaiyuan era, this poem was written by Meng Haoran while traveling westward to Chang'an. Addressed to Chancellor Zhang Jiuling, it uses the majestic scenery of Lake Dongting to subtly express the poet's political aspirations and hope for official recommendation.

中文原文( Chinese )

八月湖水平， 涵虚混太清。

气蒸云梦泽， 波撼岳阳城。

欲济无舟楫， 端居耻圣明。

坐观垂钓者， 空有羡鱼情。

· Pre： Returning at Night to Lumen Mountain
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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