Successful at the Civil Service Examinations
- Poetry of Meng Jiao

《登科后》

Successful at the Civil Service Examinations by Meng Jiao

English Translation

Gone are all my past woes! What more have I to say?

My body and my mind enjoy their fill today.

Successful, faster runs my horse in vernal breeze;

I've seen within one day all flowers on the trees.

Meng Jiao struggled in his official career for a long time, only passing the imperial examination at the age of 46. His joy and relief were beyond words, and this poem vividly captures his exhilaration upon achieving success. In just four lines, the poem radiates the liberation and delight of breaking free from hardship, making it a timeless masterpiece.

中文原文( Chinese )

昔日龌龊不足夸，今朝放荡思无涯。

春风得意马蹄疾，一日看尽长安花。

Pre： A Frivolous Outing on Ba River

Next：Complaint of Parting

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.

Successful at the Civil Service Examinations - Poetry of Meng Jiao

Successful at the Civil Service Examinations
- Poetry of Meng Jiao