Dusk Watchtower
- Poetry of Zeng Gong
Barbarous Chu—history's palimpsest scraped bare,
To whom beg answers of kingdoms that were?
Zheng Xiu's erotic glyphs now erased,
Qu Yuan's verses—world's performative waste.
Peaks gorge on dynasties' fossil bones,
Dawn clouds mate with dusk rain in one-night zones.
Leaning on this tower where suns decompose,
Only my spleen knows how ennui grows.
Composed during Zeng Gong's later years amidst the political and cultural shifts of mid-Northern Song, this poem reflects the scholar-official's meditation on historical cycles through the lens of Chu Kingdom's legacy. Drawing upon the contrasting figures of seductive Consort Zheng and exiled patriot Qu Yuan, Zeng examines the paradox of political transience versus cultural endurance. Written when his own career faced recurring uncertainties, the work transforms personal reflection into a philosophical inquiry about legacy and remembrance in governance.
蛮荆人事几推移，旧国兴亡欲问谁。
郑袖风流今已尽，屈原辞赋世空悲。
深山大泽成千古，暮雨朝云又一时。
落日西楼凭槛久，闲愁唯有此心知。
- 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.
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- Willow Catkins Over the Pond
- Written for My Grandnephew at the Blue Pass
- South of Town I
- South of Town II
- Multi-Vista Tower at Sweet Dew Temple
- River Thoughts for Wang Anshi
- Bamboos by South Veranda
- The Condensed Incense Studio
- Ten Thousand Thoughts a Day