English Rendering
Flickering, you shed a green light;
Wafting weak wings, you flit in flight.
Being afraid to be unknown,
In the darkness you gleam alone.
To the Firefly
- Poetry of Yu Shinan
《咏萤》
Original Text (中文原文)
的历流光小，飘飖弱翅轻。
恐畏无人识，独自暗中明。
Analysis & Context
This poem stands as one of the most philosophically profound among Yu Shinan's numerous object-poems. Having served in both the Sui and Tang courts, Yu was known for his humility and virtue—a diligent scholar in youth, an accomplished official in midlife, and a contemplative recluse in his later years. Through the metaphor of the faintly-glowing firefly, the poem expresses the poet's unyielding commitment to shine despite marginal positions and obscurity, reflecting both the solitary nobility of maintaining self-worth and the introspective tenacity characteristic of scholarly spirit.
Reader's Companion
The Essence of the Verse
Classical Chinese poetry thrives on Concision and Ambiguity. Without tense or number, the words create a timeless space where the reader becomes the co-creator of the poem's meaning.
Reading Between the Lines
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.
- Marching Beyond the Frontier
- Ode to the Dance
- Song of the Young Gallants' Tryst
- In Response to the Prince of Wei: Ode to the Wind
- Spring Night
- To the Firefly
- The Summit Temple
- <Prelude to Water Melody> Sent to Ziyou on Mid-autumn Festival
- Invitation to Wine
- Question and Answer in the Mountains
- Cold sheet
- Coming Home ( Returning Home )
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