At a Border-fortress
- Poetry of Wang Changling

《塞上曲》

- Last updated: 2024-04-21 10:24:49

中文原文

蝉鸣空桑林，八月萧关道。

出塞入塞寒，处处黄芦草。

从来幽并客，皆共尘沙老。

莫学游侠儿，矜夸紫骝好。

English Translation

Cicadas complain of thin mulberry-trees

In the Eighth-month chill at the frontier pass.

Through the gate and back again, all along the road,

There is nothing anywhere but yellow reeds and grasses

And the bones of soldiers from You and from Bing

Who have buried their lives in the dusty sand.

...Let never a cavalier stir you to envy

With boasts of his horse and his horsemanship

Folk-song-styled-verse

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.

List of Chinese poets