Inscribed in The Inn At Tong Gate in An Autumn Trip To The Capital
- Poetry of Xu Hun

《秋日赴阙题潼关驿楼》

- Last updated: 2024-05-04 12:19:12

中文原文

红叶晚萧萧，长亭酒一瓢。

残云归太华，疏雨过中条。

树色随山迥，河声入海遥。

帝乡明日到，犹自梦渔樵。

English Translation

Red leaves are fluttering down the twilight

Past this arbour where I take my wine;

Cloud-rifts are blowing toward Great Flower Mountain,

And a shower is crossing the Middle Ridge.

I can see trees colouring a distant wall.

I can hear the river seeking the sea,

As I the Imperial City tomorrow --

But I dream of woodsmen and fishermen.

Five-character-regular-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