Happy Return to the Court-In Reply to Su Jian
- Poetry of Su Shi

《归朝欢·和苏坚伯固》

- Last updated: 2024-01-09 17:03:57

Happy Return to the Court-In Reply to Su Jian by Su Shi
中文原文

我梦扁舟浮震泽，雪浪摇空千顷白。

觉来满眼是庐山，倚天无数开青壁。

此生长接淅，与君同是江南客。

梦中游，觉来清赏，同作飞梭掷。


明日西风还挂席，唱我新词泪沾臆。

灵均去后楚山空，澧阳兰芷无颜色。

君才如梦得，武陵更在西南极。

《竹枝词》，莫傜新唱，谁谓古今隔。

English Translation

I dream my leaflike boat on the vast lake afloat,

Snowlike waves surge up for miles and whiten the air.

I wake to find Mount Lu resplendent to my eye,

Blue cliffs upon blue cliffs open against the sky.

I've suffered setbacks all my life long;

You and I sing alike the roamer's song.

Dreaming of boating on the lake,

I like the thrilling scene when awake,

And feel as happy as the shuttle flies.


You will set sail in western breeze tomorrow;

I'll croon in tears for you a new verse full of sorrow.

When Poet Qu is gone,the Southern Mountain's bare.

Sweet orchids and clovers will lose their hue 

Like the poet of Willow Branch Song,you 

Will go farther southwest.

But you may compose as a guest.

And then who says

The modern age cannot surpass the bygone days?

The poet writes this lyric for an old friend whom he has not seen for years.Qu Yuan (340-278 BC)is the author of the long poem Sorrow after Departure.

· Pre： Riverside Daffodils-Farewell to a Friend
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.

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