At Chuzhou on the Western Stream
- Poetry of Wei Yingwu
《滁州西涧》
English Translation
Where tender grasses rim the stream
And deep boughs trill with mango-birds,
On the spring flood of last night's rain
The ferry-boat moves as though someone were poling.
Seven-character-quatrain
Composed in 781 AD during Wei Yingwu's tenure as governor of Chuzhou, this poem was inspired by his excursions to the mountain streams west of the city. Written during a spring evening, it expresses the poet's serene temperament and reclusive ideals through natural imagery, while subtly revealing his unfulfilled political aspirations. This work stands among the finest examples of Tang landscape poetry.
中文原文( Chinese )
独怜幽草涧边生，上有黄鹂深树鸣。
春潮带雨晚来急，野渡无人舟自横。
- 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.