Coal
- Poetry of Yu Qian

《咏煤炭》

English Rendering

Crack up primeval rock and soil,

There glistening black gold we find;

Preserved in such fine sunny warmth

In Nature's breast deep and kind.

A little fire oft makes one feel

What Spring's expansive breaths incite,

And a burning furnace could break up

The densest darkness of the night.

Bronze tripods and wine-vessels1 're shaped

By its vital power and energy,

And melt iron retains on it

Its posthumous felicity.

So long as all God's children be

Relieved from hunger, free from cold,

It cares not if, from wooded mountains

It comes to vast sufferings untold.

Coal by Yu Qian
Coal by Yu Qian

Original Text (中文原文)

凿开混沌得乌金,蓄藏阳和意最深。

爝火燃回春浩浩,洪炉照破夜沉沉。

鼎彝元赖生成力,铁石犹存死后心。

但愿苍生俱饱暖,不辞辛苦出山林。

Analysis & Context

Bronze tripods and wine-vessels (the ding and the yi) were symbols of state power in feudal China.

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The Essence of the Verse

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Look for Contrasts: light and shadow, movement and stillness. Don't just translate the words; feel the Yijing (artistic conception) that lingers long after the last character.

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