Miscellaneous Poems III
- Poetry of Tao Yuanming
Prosperity cannot last long;
Rise and fall alternate their song.
Lotus flowers bloom after spring,
But autumn will lotus seed bring.
When grass is bitten by hoar frost,
The lotus withers, though not lost.
Sun and moon set and again rise;
None can revive after he dies.
From olden memories awoken,
Oh, how could my mind not be broken!
Miscellaneous Poems III was composed in 414 AD when Tao Yuanming was fifty years old. Having long resigned from officialdom and retreated from worldly bustle, he increasingly felt the melancholy of time's passage and life's impermanence amidst his tranquil existence. Observing the flourishing and withering of plants in nature, the poet realized human life resembles blooming and fading flowers - its glory and decline equally unpredictable - expressing profound lament over irretrievable passing youth and life.
荣华难久居，盛衰不可量。
昔为三春蕖，今作秋莲房。
严霜结野草，枯悴未遽央。
日月有还周，我去不再阳。
眷眷往昔时，忆此断人肠。
- 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.
- Miscellaneous Poems III
- Miscellaneous Poems IV
- Miscellaneous Poems V
- Miscellaneous Poems VI
- Miscellaneous Poems VII
- Miscellaneous Poems VIII
- A Poor Scholar I
- Reading The Book of Mountains and Seas I
- An Elegy for Myself I
- Pale Yellow Willow: Lodging West of Red-Rail Bridge, Hefei