In the Mountains
- Poetry of Wang Bo
《山中》
English Translation
The Long River grieves over my long stay,
For my home is a thousand miles away.
Now blows the evening wind so high;
From mountain to mountain yellow leaves fly.
This poem was likely written during the Tang dynasty poet Wang Bo's stay in the Sichuan region, where he found himself stranded due to his difficult career path. While traveling, he observed the autumnal scenery in the mountains, which stirred deep emotions, leading him to express his longing for home and his sorrow at being far away. The poem skillfully combines descriptive imagery with lyrical expression, vividly portraying the poet’s melancholy as a traveler yearning to return.
中文原文( Chinese )
长江悲已滞，万里念将归。
况属高风晚，山山黄叶飞。
Next：No Data
- 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.