Morning Meal at Qi's Inn, Songyuan
- Poetry of Yang Wanli
Say not downhill ends hardship's domain,
It tricks travelers with joy's false gain.
Once caught in peaks that circle like a chain,
One slope frees you—the next blocks the plain.
Composed during the Chunxi era of the Southern Song Dynasty. In the late 12th century, amidst fluctuations in his official career and inner turmoil, Yang Wanli often traveled through Jiangxi and Hunan provinces. During his journeys, he frequently incorporated observations and reflections from hiking, crossing rivers, and lodging into his poetry. This work, "Passing Songyuan, Morning Meal at Qi's Inn," was written during his travels through Songyuan (present-day Anren, Jiangxi), capturing impressions from a chance encounter with a mountain inn. Through depicting the arduous and winding mountain paths, the poet conveys profound insights on the human condition: worldly affairs are like climbing mountains—whether ascending or descending, difficulties and obstacles never truly disappear.
莫言下岭便无难，赚得行人错喜欢。
政入万山围子里，一山放出一山拦。
- 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.