English Rendering
Paddy fields stash jade-green floods,
Pine boughs shake off mud's last bloods.
Limping up slopes to my lone bed—
Noon crows peck dreams half-dead.
Back to the Thatched Hut
- Poetry of Wang Anshi
《归庵》
Original Text (中文原文)
稻畦藏水绿秧齐，松鬣初乾尚有泥。
纵蹇寻冈归独卧，东庵残梦午时鸡。
Analysis & Context
This poem was composed during Wang Anshi's retreat to Zhongshan after resigning as chancellor. Residing in Jiangning (modern Nanjing), he devoted himself to reading and self-cultivation at the Eastern Hermitage, embracing a life of simplicity amidst mountain forests. Capturing scenes and reflections during his return to the hermitage, the poem depicts rural summer landscapes at farming season, interweaving the tranquility of his retired life into a serene and far-reaching recluse's tableau.
Reader's Companion
The Essence of the Verse
Classical Chinese poetry thrives on Concision and Ambiguity. Without tense or number, the words create a timeless space where the reader becomes the co-creator of the poem's meaning.
Reading Between the Lines
Look for Contrasts: light and shadow, movement and stillness. Don't just translate the words; feel the Yijing (artistic conception) that lingers long after the last character.
- Ascending the Flying Peak
- On the River
- Spring Lament: Rain on Southern Trees
- Northern Slope Apricot Blossoms
- The Courier Station at Ge Creek
- The Northern Hills
- The Summit Temple
- <Prelude to Water Melody> Sent to Ziyou on Mid-autumn Festival
- Invitation to Wine
- Question and Answer in the Mountains
- Cold sheet
- Coming Home ( Returning Home )
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