Seeing Off Imperial Censor Chai
- Poetry of Wang Changling

《送柴侍御》

- Last updated: 2024-04-07 10:20:28

中文原文

流水通波接武冈，送君不觉有离伤。

青山一道同云雨，明月何曾是两乡。

English Translation

The Yuan River joins Longbiao to Wugang;

On parting with you my heart is not weighed down.

Though separated by a mountain, we'll share the same clouds and rain;

And a bright moon belongs not to a single town!

By Wang Changling

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