After Missing the Recluse on the Western Mountain
- Poetry of Qiu Wei
Living under a thatch roof, never wearing fragrant silk,
She longs to arrange a marriage, but how could she dare ?
Who would know her simple face the loveliest of them all
When we choose for worldliness, not for worth ?
Her fingers embroider beyond compare,
But she cannot vie with painted brows;
And year after year she has sewn gold thread
On bridal robes for other girls.
As a leading figure of the Wang Wei-Liu Changqing pastoral tradition, Qiu Wei excelled in depicting scholarly reclusion and spiritual communion with nature. This masterpiece transforms a "failed visit" into a profound encounter with the essence of hermitic ideals, revealing deeper truths through absence rather than presence.
绝顶一茅茨，直上三十里。
扣关无僮仆，窥室唯案几。
若非巾柴车，应是钓秋水。
差池不相见，黾勉空仰止。
草色新雨中，松声晚窗里。
及兹契幽绝，自足荡心耳。
虽无宾主意，颇得清净理。
兴尽方下山，何必待之子。
- 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.