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.
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。
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.
Classical Chinese poetry thrives on Concision and Ambiguity. Without tense or number, the words create a timeless space where the reader becomes the co-creator of the poem's meaning.
Look for Contrasts: light and shadow, movement and stillness. Don't just translate the words; feel the Yijing (artistic conception) that lingers long after the last character.
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