Su Wu to His Wife
- Poetry of Su Wu
As man and wife we ever unite;
We never doubt about our love.
Let us enjoy our fill tonight
As tender as a cooing dove!
Thinking of the way I should go,
I rise to see if time is due.
The stars appear dim high and low;
Adieu! I must bid you adieu.
Away to battlefield I’ll hie;
I know not if we’ll meet again.
Holding your hand, I give a sign;
My tears of farewell fall like rain.
Enjoy the spring flowers in view!
Do not forget our time in glee!
Safe and sound, I’ll come back to you;
Even killed, my love won’t die with me.
This poem depicts the affection between husband and wife in its first four lines, portrays their late-night farewell in lines five to eight, describes their parting at dawn in lines nine to twelve, and concludes with mutual encouragement and vows in the final four lines.
结发为夫妻，恩爱两不疑。欢娱在今夕，燕婉及良时。
征夫怀远路，起视夜何其。参晨皆已没，去去从此辞。
行役在战场，相见未有期。握手一长欢，泪为生别滋。
努力爱春华，莫忘欢乐时。生当复来归，死当长相思。
- 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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