West Tower
- Poetry of Zeng Gong
The sea's restless lungs spit clouds that flee and swirl,
North wind whips up thunder's blue concussion.
Four sides of vermilion cage unhook their pearl—
I lie watching mountains drink rain's execution.
Composed during the Xining era of Emperor Shenzong's reign, this work captures Zeng Gong's maritime encounter while navigating the uncertainties of official travel along the southern coast. As one of the Eight Great Prose Masters of Tang-Song dynasties (though less renowned for poetry), Zeng here demonstrates remarkable lyrical precision in this septasyllabic quatrain. The poem transforms an approaching storm into a metaphysical theater, where the poet's composure mirrors the Neo-Confucian ideal of maintaining equilibrium amidst cosmic turbulence.
海浪如云去却回，北风吹起数声雷。
朱楼四面钩疏箔，卧看千山急雨来。
- 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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- Written for My Grandnephew at the Blue Pass
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- 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