A Farewell to Cui
- Poetry of Pei Di

《送崔九（崔九欲往南山马上口号与别）》

- Last updated: 2024-05-10 21:32:42

中文原文

归山深浅去，须尽丘壑美。

莫学武陵人，暂游桃源里。

English Translation

Though you think to return to this maze of mountains,

Oh, let them brim your heart with wonder!....

Remember the fisherman from Wuling

Who had only a day in the Peach-Blossom Country.

Five-character-quatrain

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