Winter Night at My Lodging: To Imperial Archivist Chu
- Poetry of Qiwu Qian
Since coming to Luoyang, a stranger here,
You, Master, are the one who holds me dear.
So kind to scholars, humble to the core—
Such virtue men today don’t heed anymore.
Alas! Tonight, in my bare room I stay,
Like nesting birds who mourn woods left in decay.
In gloom I sit till the moon climbs the sky,
Then southern neighbors’ laundry poundings sigh.
This poem, composed during Qiwu Qian’s sojourn in Luoyang, stands apart from his usual nature-focused verse. Written on a cold, lonely night, it addresses his confidant Chu Taizhu—a rare kindred spirit in an era of fading camaraderie. Through stark imagery and direct emotion, Qiwu laments both physical displacement and the spiritual isolation of a world where genuine bonds fray. The work marries Tang poetry’s classical restraint with raw vulnerability, revealing a man clinging to friendship as winter clings to the earth.
自为洛阳客，夫子吾知音。
尽义能下士，时人无此心。
奈何离居夜，巢鸟悲空林。
愁坐至月上，复闻南邻砧。
- 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.