Riverside Daffodils-Farewell to a Friend
- Poetry of Su Shi

《临江仙·送钱穆父》

- Last updated: 2024-01-08 17:25:16

中文原文

一别都门三改火，天涯踏尽红尘。

依然一笑作春温。

无波真古井，有节是秋筠。

惆怅孤帆连夜发，送行淡月微云。

尊前不用翠眉颦。

人生如逆旅，我亦是行人。

English Translation

Three years have passed since we left the capital;

We've trodden all the way from rise to fall.

Still I smile as on warm spring day.

In ancient well no waves are raised;

Upright,the autumn bamboo's praised.

Melancholy,your lonely sail departs at night;

Only a pale cloud sees you off in pale moonlight.

You need no songstress to drink your sorrow away.

Life is like a journey;

I too am on my way.

The poet thinks life is like a journey

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