Night in the Taoist Cosmos
- Poetry of Qiwu Qian
The jade metropolis swallows sunset’s spit,
Galaxies dangle like unwashed hair.
My soul divorces ribs to flirt with dream-butterflies,
Dawn’s rooster crows with iron-feathered glare.
Flowers weep glass tears onto granite cheeks,
Pines jerk off streams in icy streaks.
At daybreak I’ll fuck this flesh cocoon,
Saluting entropy’s cartoon.
This seven-character regulated verse was composed during Qi Wuqian's overnight stay at Taiping Abbey, a Daoist temple nestled in secluded mountains. The poem captures the mystical atmosphere of the sacred site, where the vastness of heaven and earth merges with human contemplation. Through vivid imagery of celestial realms and natural serenity, Qi transitions from worldly clamor to spiritual transcendence, revealing his yearning for reclusive enlightenment.
夕到玉京寝，窅冥云汉低。
魂交仙室蝶，曙听羽人鸡。
滴沥花上露，清泠松下谿。
明当访真隐，挥手入无倪。
- 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.