On Hearing Homing Wild Geese
- Poetry of Wei Yingwu
《闻雁》
English Translation
My native land's far, far away,
My nostalgia grows day by day.
Alone on rainy autumn night
I hear homing wild geese in flight.
Composed in 783 AD during Emperor Dezong's reign when Wei Yingwu served as the demoted governor of Chuzhou, this poem emerges from an autumn night's contemplation. Sitting alone in his elevated studio amidst rainy darkness, the poet hears distant wild geese cries that stir profound nostalgia for his homeland.
中文原文( Chinese )
故园眇何处，归思方悠哉。
淮南秋雨夜，高斋闻雁来。
- 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.
Famous Chinese Poems
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- The Cottage by the Stream
- The Lotus-Gathering Song
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