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.
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。
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.
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.
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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