I Attend
- Poetry of Anonymous

《今日良宴会》
I Attend by Anonymous
中文原文

今日良宴会，欢乐难具陈。

弹筝奋逸响，新声妙入神。

令德唱高言，识曲听其真。

齐心同所愿，含意俱未申。

人生寄一世，奄忽若飙尘。

何不策高足，先据要路津，

无为守穷贱，轗轲长苦辛。

English Translation

I attend a sumptuous feast today,

With mirth and riot hard for me to say.

When the lute plays a wondrous tone,

The new tunes are the most superb e'er known 

When a sage composes meaningful strains,

Those who know the music find the veins.

The veins are all within the common ken,

But never made overt by any men.


Human beings live the briefest span,

Which fades like dust as soon as it began.

Why not strive hard to the uttermost,

Take up the chance and grasp a powerful post?

There's no sense sticking to a wretched life 

And bearing burdens in an endless strife.

Anonymous

- Last updated: 2024-08-10 16:30:57
· Pre： Green and Green Grows
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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