Waters and Wilds
- Poetry of Zeng Gong
Most dread the far lakes-and-streams,
But solitude fits my themes.
Fading tracks won't startle crowds,
Leaving noise defies time's shrouds.
Roaming's an art one can copy,
Wild greens guard my private recipe.
Why drop your homeward-bound oar,
To be whipped by frost's harsh law?
Composed during Zeng Gong's tenure as a local official (though the exact date remains uncertain), this work embodies his characteristic transcendental spirit and Confucian concern for worldly affairs. While serving as a bureaucrat, Zeng frequently yearned for retreat into nature's solitude. His concept of "rivers and lakes" (江湖) represents neither the wanderer's domain nor the hermit's refuge, but rather the literati's inner sanctuary of tranquility, refinement, and moral integrity. This poem articulates this idealized spiritual habitat.
江湖俗畏远，幽好自相宜。
沦迹异惊众，辞嚣如避时。
优游可以学，薇蕨易为私。
胡然弃回櫂，霜雪有驱驰。
- 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